Computer Theft at University Unnerves Human Rights Community

The desktop and external hard-drive stolen hold the names and stories of people who survived the war in El Salvador. The break-in happened in the offices of the University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights.

The equipment contains personal testimonies that are part of human rights investigations involving survivors of a civil war that killed more than 75,000 people between 1980 and 1991. During the conflict, the United States provided military aid to the Salvadoran government.

Earlier in October, the center filed a lawsuit against the CIA, requesting documents involving possible human rights violations.  

There was no sign of forced entry at the center.

The offices have backups of the information stolen, but the director is worried about whether the survivors identified in the data will be targeted. Campus police are treating this as a basic case of theft.

In a statement, the center said, “We have contacted colleagues in El Salvador, many of whom have emphasized parallels between this incident and attacks Salvadoran human rights organizations have experienced in recent years. While we cannot rule out the possibility of this having been an incident of common crime, we are deeply concerned that this breach of information may increase the vulnerability of Salvadoran human rights defenders with whom we work.”