Explanation Demanded for Death of Union Leader
Patricio Meza
Redaccion Co Latino

Gilberto Soto, a Salvadoran living in the United States for more than 20 years and who was a community leader and a member of a truckers union, was assassinated last Friday in Usulutan, the cause for his death remaining undetermined to date. Soto, who was affiliated with the FMLN and had distinguished himself for his unrelenting struggle for social justice, worked as a truck driver in the Northeast coast of the United States. He was known in Central America for his trade and was a union leader who fought for the rights of that sector.

The National Labor Committee of New York mailed a letter to General Colin Powell, Secretary of the State, so that he would investigate the death of the citizen, who was a resident of the United States.

It was also demanded to the President of El Salvador, Antonio Saca, that an exhaustive and immediate investigation be made. The Committee believes there are sufficient resources to investigate what happened to Soto. The interest of the organization is to establish the origin of the crime and to discard the possibility it is linked to politics or trade unionizing.

What is known is that Soto arrived in the country to participate in the primary elections of the FMLN and was assassinated near his home, in a phone booth, by unknown subjects driving in a car. The PNC discarded robbery as a motive for the assassination.

Soto's body will arrive this Thursday, November 11th, in New Jersey, New York, where it will be waked on Thursday the 12th at the Rivera Funeral Home 4543 Kennedy Blv. North Bergen, NJ (201) 861-6899.

In addition, a bank account has been opened that carries his name: Gilberto Soto Memorial Account, account number: 1010110473249, at the Wachovia Bank.

Return to Soto update.