Héctor Silva, the head of the Social Investment Fund in El Salvador, and a long time activist for human rights and social justice, died suddenly and tragically this morning in San Salvador. Dr. Silva was a physician who became involved in politics in El Salvador in the 1970s, and was involved with the broad opposition FDR (Democratic Revolutionary Front) at the beginning of the civil war. He returned to El Salvador during the peace negotiations, and was one of the first opposition politicians elected to the Legislative Assembly, in 1991. He served two terms as mayor of San Salvador under the banner of a broad left of center coalition, and was a presidential candidate in 2004. El Salvador's current President, Mauricio Funes, named Héctor Silva head of the Social Investment fund. Silva had a reputation for honesty, transparency, and competence, along side a commitment to human rights and social justice. WOLA joins many of the friends of El Salvador in mourning his passing and honoring his life.
