In a statement released this Monday, the Jon Cortina Museum House asked members of the Armed Forces to show “respect” for the historical and spiritual artifacts found there; soldiers have taken shelter in its Guarjila facilities, after the establishment of a military siege in Chalatenango, following two homicides in the area.

“To make it known to the military members who are in the Jon Cortina Museum House about the sacred value that these centers have for the entire Guarjila community, so we request full respect for all items and objects of historical and spiritual value found in the house,” the statement says.

The museum claims that the military asked on Sunday night to remain at the location, using it as a “center of shelter”. The museum house maintains that ADESCO and the museum committee had to collaborate.

“Our temporary visitors cannot use their facilities, nor can attend guided visits” — Jon Cortina Museum House.

Translated Statement: 

The Jon Cortina House Museum informs:

That since Friday, March 22nd of this year, the community of Guarjila and other communities in the area have been militarized as a response to the murder of two people in northern Chalatenango.

That on Sunday, March 24th in the evening, the Jon Cortina House Museum was requested by military forces as a shelter for members operating in the area. Faced with this situation, ADESCO and the House Museum Committee have had to collaborate with the request, so our visitors temporarily cannot make use of its facilities, nor can guided visits be attended to.

We take this opportunity to inform the military members who are in the Jon Cortina House Museum about the sacred value that this center has for the entire Guarjila community, which is why we ask for full respect for all items and objects of historical and spiritual value found in the house.

Sincerely,

Jon Cortina House Museum

Guarjila, a community in the municipality of Chalatenango, along with the municipalities of San José Cancasque, San Antonio Los Ranchos, Potonico, and San Isidro Labrador, in the department of Chalatenango, have been under a military siege since Sunday afternoon, with the aim of dismantling a clique of the Barrio 18 Sureños gang, which supposedly committed two homicides in recent days.

The Jon Cortina Museum House is a space dedicated to the memory of the Jesuit priest, open to the public since 2006, in the same place where the father lived his last nine years of life until his death in December 2005. He is remembered for his work with the communities in the northeast of the country returning from the Mesa Grande refugee camp in Honduras, where they had been displaced by the civil war.

Diario El Mundo: https://diario.elmundo.sv/nacionales/museo-jon-cortina-pide-a-faes-respetar-articulos-historicos-tras-ocupacion-en-el-cerco-de-chalatenango

Museo Jon Cortina pide a FAES respetar artículos históricos tras ocupación en el cerco de Chalatenango

A través de un comunicado difundido este lunes, la Casa Museo Jon Cortina pidió a los elementos de la Fuerza Armada que tengan “respeto” de los artículos históricos y espirituales que se encuentran ahí; los soldados se han resguardado en sus instalaciones de Guarjila, tras la instalación del cerco militar en Chalatenango, luego de dos homicidios en la zona.

“Hacer del conocimiento que los miembros militares que se encuentran en la Casa Museo Jon Cortina sobre el valor sagrado que fiche centros tiene para toda la comunidad de Guarjila, por lo que solicitamos pleno respeto a todos los artículos y efectos de valor histórico y espiritual que se encuentran en la casa”, dice el comunicado.

La casa museo asegura que los militares pidieron la noche del domingo permanecer en el lugar utilizándolo como “centro de resguardo”. La casa museo sostiene que la ADESCO y el comité del museo han tenido que colaborar.

“Nuestros visitantes temporales no pueden hacer uso de sus instalaciones, ni se podrá atender visitas guiadas” — Casa Museo Jon Cortina.

Guarjila, una comunidad del municipio de Chalatenango, así como los municipios de San José Cancasque, San Antonio Los Ranchos, Potonico y San Isidro Labrador, del departamento de Chalatenango, permanecen desde la tarde del domingo bajo cerco militar, con el objetivo de desarticular una clica de la pandilla Barrio 18 Sureños, que supuestamente habría cometido dos homicidios en los últimos días.

La Casa Museo Jon Cortina es un espacio dedicado a la memoria del padre jesuita, que está abierta al público desde 2006, en el mismo lugar donde el padre vivió sus últimos nueve años de vida hasta su muerte en diciembre del 2005. Es recordado por su trabajo con las comunidades del nororiente del país que regresaban del campo de refugiados de Mesa Grande en Honduras, donde se habían desplazados por la guerra civil.

Diario El Mundo: https://diario.elmundo.sv/nacionales/museo-jon-cortina-pide-a-faes-respetar-articulos-historicos-tras-ocupacion-en-el-cerco-de-chalatenango