Against the political persecution by the Nayib Bukele government

From the CLACSO Working Group on Violence in Central America We want to express our deep concern about the authoritarian escalation of Nayib Bukele's government in El Salvador.

After more than three years since the declaration of the state of emergency under the pretext of fighting gangs, we have seen how it has been used as a tool of political persecution against opposition journalists, social leaders and human rights defenders, while access to official documents and figures becomes increasingly difficult.

The most recent cases are the arrests of Ruth López, Atilio Montalvo, Fidel Zavala, and Alejandro Henríquez. These are not isolated incidents, but rather part of a systematic policy that criminalizes and imprisons political opponents, social activists, community leaders, and civil society organizations that speak out against human rights violations and the dispossession of their livelihoods under the state of emergency.

Added to this is the recent approval in the Legislative Assembly of the 'Foreign Agents Law', which penalizes the work and donations received by civil society organizations.

From our work as social scientists:

We affirm that authoritarianism and political persecution are not the way to disarm violence and build the long-awaited peace for the Salvadoran people.

We demand the immediate release of the people who have been arbitrarily imprisoned, simply for being leaders in the fight for human rights.

We stand in solidarity with the families, loved ones, and workers of civil society organizations who are currently suffering government persecution.

May 26th 2025
CLACSO Working Groups
Violence in Central America

This statement expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.