Political situation in El Salvador

85,000 arrested – many reportedly innocent

More than 85,000 people have been arrested in El Salvador since President Nayib Bukele declared a national state of emergency in March 2022. Reuters reports.

At that time, Bukele suspended constitutional rights, restricted press freedom and reduced the independence of the judiciary, the news agency writes. The president himself believes that the reforms are part of his war against criminal networks in the country and the number of murders has decreased by 90 percent since he took office, according to the government's own statistics.

However, human rights organizations believe that thousands of innocent people have also been arrested in connection with Bukele's measures. But despite criticism from within the country and from the international community, Bukele remains incredibly popular and has the support of 85 percent of the population, according to opinion polls.

The organization is persecuted in El Salvador – goes into exile

The human rights organization Cristosal in El Salvador has ceased all its activities in the country and gone into exile. The reason is President Nayib Bukele's tighter grip on power in the country, reports Reuters.

The group became a prominent player in the country when it began investigating corruption in the government. But a national state of emergency has been declared for three years and now the group considers it too unsafe to continue operating in the country.

- When it became clear that the government was prepared to prosecute us and that there was no possibility of a defense or an impartial trial, it became unsustainable to take these risks, the organization's CEO Noah Bullock tells Reuters.