Lilian Mercedes Letona (September 24, 1954 – August 1, 1983), was a Salvadoran guerrilla and

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

, member of the

Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN) is a left-wing political party in El Salvador. The FMLN was formed as an umbrella group on 10 October 1980, from five leftist gu ...

(FMLN). Also known with her "

nom de guerre A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

" ''Comandante Clelia'' (Commander Clelia), she took part in the

Salvadoran Civil War The Salvadoran Civil War ( es, guerra civil de El Salvador) was a twelve year period of civil war in El Salvador that was fought between the government of El Salvador and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition or ...

Biography

Born in 1954 in

Turín Turín is a municipality in the Ahuachapán department of El Salvador. Geography The town is located 4 km west of Atiquizaya, 10 km east of Ahuachapán, the department capital; and 12 km west of Chalchuapa and the neighboring Ma ...

, a town located in the

Ahuachapán Department Ahuachapán () is a department of El Salvador in the west of the country. The capital is Ahuachapán. In the South it has the Apaneca-Ilamatepec Range and the Cerro Grande de Apaneca (Apaneca Grand Hill). Its extension is and has more than 33 ...

, she was the daughter of a school teacher and a small tradeswoman. Graduated in 1972 in

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

, she was member of a student movement before to join the '' Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo'' (ERP - People's Revolutionary Army), while promoting the incorporation of her sister Mercedes del Carmen Letona (nom de guerre ''Comandante Luisa'') who later became a responsible of

Radio Venceremos Radio Venceremos (Spanish; in English, "'We Shall Overcome' Radio") was an 'underground' radio network of the anti-government Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) during the Salvadoran Civil War. The station "specialized in ideologica ...

. Since 1973, ''Clelia'' incorporated many workers of the factory "Cinturón Obrero" of

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

, in the secret worker unit of the ERP. She joined the urban guerrilla and took part in armed actions and revolutionary propaganda. In January 1974, aged 19, she went underground to avoid persecutions and joined the armed struggle, where she partecipe to the construction of the ''

Partido de la Revolución Salvadoreña Partido, partidista and partidario may refer to: * Spanish for a political party, people who share political ideology or who are brought together by common issues Territorial subdivision * Partidos of Buenos Aires, the second-level administrative ...

'' (PRS-ERP - Salvadoran Revolution Party, one of the founding subjects of the FMLN) becoming a member of its central committee in 1977. As member of it, she was responsible for the party and participated in the preparation of the general offensive of 1981 around the city of

, when she was captured of February 11. For 22 days ''Clelia'' stayed on condition of '' desaparecida'' in a clandestine prison of the '' Policía Nacional'' (National Police), wheres she was found by the

International Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

and transferred to the women's prison of

Ilopango Ilopango is a town in the San Salvador department of El Salvador. It is a few miles east of the nation's capital, San Salvador. It is located near Lake Ilopango, the country's largest lake at 72 square kilometers. Overview El Salvador's se ...

. She was released in June 1983 by an amnesty decreed by the government of

Álvaro Magaña Álvaro Alfredo Magaña Borja (October 8, 1925 – July 10, 2001) was a Salvadoran lawyer, economist and politician who was the President of El Salvador, president of El Salvador from 1982 to 1984. Biography He was born in Ahuachapán, El S ...

. After it, she joined the north-eastern military front ''Francisco Sánchez'' of the FMLN. Two months later she died in battle.

Media

*A 1985 song of the Salvadoran singer

Eduardo Cutumay Camones Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to: Association football * Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and sports commentator * Eduardo Carvalho, Portuguese footbal ...

was named ''Comandante Clelia''. The song is part of the album ''

Por Eso Luchamos Por or POR may refer to: Por *Por (Thai word) *Por, Armenia, a town * Por, a Spanish preposition * Por, a Portuguese preposition POR * POR (gene), cytochrome P450 reductase * Power-on reset * Program of Record (PoR), a term used in US governmen ...

'' *The 1984 documentary film '' Commander Clelia: Political Prisoner'' is based on the interviews of 5 women, included Lilian Letona, imprisoned in the Salvadoran women's prison of

*In a 1992 song of the Italian group

Banda Bassotti Banda Bassotti is an Italian ska-punk band formed in 1987 in Rome, Italy. Their songs are generally political in nature, focusing on Communist and anti-fascist issues. Many are about also politics of Ireland and Latin America. The band was insp ...

, named ''Figli della stessa rabbia'', the Commander Clelia was cited with other revolutionary marxists. The song is part of the homonym album''Figli della stessa rabbia'': album details and track listing
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References

External links

*
History of the ERP at CEDEMA website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letona, Lilian Mercedes 1954 births 1983 deaths People from Ahuachapán Department Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front politicians 20th-century Salvadoran women politicians 20th-century Salvadoran politicians Salvadoran guerrillas Salvadoran revolutionaries Salvadoran communists Women in war in Central America Women in warfare post-1945 People of the Salvadoran Civil War Deaths by firearm in El Salvador Guerrillas killed in action Female guerrillas

Biography

Media

See also

References

External links