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captured Salvadorans were taken for interrogated, back in, saying that she had to go with me because I
tortured, and sometimes killed, before being was her mother, and it worked, they left her. Audrey
disappeared. Instead, I stayed sprawled across the ran over and handed Chris the bag full of tapes and
seat of the truck carrying on with what I thought a film, yelling, “medicina,… medicina” - there was
heart attack must look like, while compañeras Chris no back window on the ambulence. Chris then told
and Rachel ran around yelling that an ambulence the driver of the ambulence that we had to go to an
had to be called; that if an ambulence wasn’t called, English speaking hospital, and that worked too, as
they would get a cab. At one point Chris actually did we ended up at a civilian hospital.
run out into the street and stopped a cab-which was
promptly sent away as she was dragged back. Lorna But the ordeal was not over yet. Two of our
and Sheila sat on the steps of the Treasury Police military escorts from Chalatenango had followed us
building and refused to go in. They said they wanted and they came right into the hospital. Throughout
ice cream, while pretending not to understand the medical examination I had two assault rifles only
Spanish. Audrey had a big purple handbag, and inches from my head. Chris tried to leave the area
while all this commotion was going on, she ran to find a phone and get help, but they stopped her.
around surreptitiously collecting everyones tapes She went as far as they would allow her to go and
and films. I was the only one who had managed to shouted into the hallway that we had been captured
get rid of incriminating stuff, but I was the one they and needed to contact the U.S. embassy, hoping
were focusing on. They left the doors of the truck someone would hear her and phone (There was no
open. Soldiers with machine guns were place at Canadian embassy in El Salvador at that time, and
each door, and another soldier was up on the hood the British embassy would have taken several days
of the truck with his gun pointed at me through to do anything for us.) Two doctors examined me.
the windshield. Fortunately it was night by this One said, “There’s nothing wrong with her. They’ve
time, otherwise it would have been very difficult been arrested. Get rid of them.” But the other doctor
to keep up the performance, never ever having had said that I needed an electorcadriograph and that
a heart attack. The Treasury Police refused to take the military soldiers would have to go stand in the
responsibility for me. They said they did not want hallway while I had that test. As soon as the military
a dying Canadian on their hands, so eventually an were out of the room, he went and phoned the U.S.
ambulence was called. But when it arrived there as embassy. The embassy had people at the hospital
only a driver and no trolley. One of the Salvadoran within ten minutes. They took us back to the
soldiers had to drag me out of the truck and carry Treasury Police Headquaters when we told them that
me to the ambulence. I kept thinking he was going four other women from our group were still there.
to drop me and it was very difficult to remain limp, The U.S. embassy personnel assumed complete
like someone passed out. I was shoved into the control of the situation. They lambasted the military
ambulence and it was at this point that we realized for capturing us, and the Treasury Policy for not
that they were going to take me to the military immediately realeasing us. Then they questioned
hospital. I was about to have an instant recovery us at length and we had to sign a statement of
and I started to get up, but Chris jumped into the declaration for the U.S. government, stating that we
ambulence and pushed me back down, saying, “Lie had not been tortured by the Salvadoran military or
down and be sick!” They dragged her out. She got security forces. We only had two days left on our
36 MARLIE BURTON-ROCHE LANDSCAPE & BREAD
