It was actually Wednesday when Oscar Romero, archbishop of San Salvador, was slain by U.S.-backed death squads, but it's still a significant anniversary worth noting.

Here is an excerpt from the BBC story:

Romero had become the strongest voice against government lawlessness. His sermons from the cathedral - in which he documented murder and disappearances - were broadcast all over the country at 8am every Sunday.

In February 1980, Romero wrote to President Carter to ask him to reconsider his offer of aid to the junta. Carter refused. In his sermon on Sunday, March 23rd, Romero spoke directly to Salvadoran soldiers saying they were killing their own people.

"No soldier is obliged to obey an order contrary to the law of God", Romero declared, before pleading for an end to repression. The next day he was killed.

But as the old saying goes, if you want to make omelettes, you gotta break eggs, right?

Roberto D'Aubisson, head of the right-wing political party ARENA and a death-squad commander, reportedly gave the order to kill Romero.

You can see a wildly jacked-up fictionalized version in the Oliver Stone-written Salvador (I'm not saying that in a bad way), or a more sombre treatment in Romero.

Here's a link to the UN Truth Commission Report on El Salvador.

FWIW, here is the CIA World Factbook entry on El Salvador.

And ARENA? They've held the presidency since the civil war ended in 1992.