The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) is a grassroots activist organization that received the Thomas Merton Award in 1990. Founded in 1980, CISPES emerged as a leading voice of opposition to U.S. military and economic intervention in El Salvador during the country’s brutal civil war.Mission and Advocacy The organization was established to support the Salvadoran people’s struggle for self-determination and social justice. Throughout the 1980s, CISPES coordinated national campaigns to stop the billions of dollars in U.S. aid flowing to the Salvadoran military, which was implicated in widespread human rights abuses and death squad activity. Their work emphasized "people-to-people" solidarity, often accompanying social movement leaders and labor unions in El Salvador.Confronting State Pressure Due to its effectiveness, CISPES became the target of one of the most extensive domestic surveillance operations in FBI history. From 1981 to 1985, the FBI investigated dozens of chapters and thousands of activists under the suspicion of supporting "terrorism." The investigation was eventually closed after a Congressional inquiry revealed no evidence of criminal activity, turning CISPES into a symbol of the struggle for civil liberties and the right to dissent.Continuing Legacy Following the 1992 Peace Accords, CISPES shifted its focus to challenging neoliberal economic policies and supporting democratic movements in El Salvador. Today, it remains active in monitoring elections and advocating against corporate exploitation and authoritarianism.