Human rights organisations express concern regarding the deterioration of the human rights situation, consolidation of authoritarian rule and hate speech against human rights defenders, organisations and media in El Salvador. The deteriorating human rights situation is a result of President Nayib Bukele and his party’s abuse of power, as well as the ongoing dismantling of public entities and national controls that would be in positions to prevent internal abuses of power.
The attempted takeover of the Legislative Assembly by the President and the armed forces in 2020, the irregular dismissal of members of the Constitutional Chamber and the Attorney General of the Republic on 1 May 2021 and the repeated use of the pandemic to control and restrict rights and freedoms, which has kept thousands of people in detention in "containment centres," have raised concerns. In addition, there is the persecution and harassment from government officials against opponents, human rights defenders and journalists that has raised concerns at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The government misuses public institutions and manipulates public discourse in favour of the interests of particular groups of society at the same time that it delegitimises and silences those who denounce systematic human rights violations. The attacks on women’s and feminist organisations are particularly troubling. Meanwhile, thousands of people continue to flee the country, escaping poverty and the fear of organised crime groups and security forces. Rates of femicides and violations of women’s sexual and reproductive rights remain among the highest in Latin America, and corruption deepens inequality.
In this context, any person, organisation or media outlet that denounces abuse of power is branded as an enemy of the state, threatened, harassed and hounded. Organisations operate under abusive fiscal measures and restrictions to the right to peaceful assembly under the excuse of the pandemic. Women human rights defenders and journalists face hate speech, stigmatisation and prosecution with sexist connotations, sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence as a means of repression. Discrimination is legitimised and the gains that women have made for equality are being rolled back.
The Salvadoran Network of Women Human Rights Defenders, the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) and the Passionist Social Service (SSPAS) have reported that in recent years there has been a significant increase on digital attacks perpetrated against journalists and human rights defenders working on sexual and reproductive rights, the right to a life free of violence and the rights of LGBTIQ people.
Between February and May 2021, at least 370 digital attacks were perpetrated by public officials or individuals close to the President and his inner circle on social networks. Human rights defender and feminist lawyer Bertha Deleón has been a victim of a strong stigmatisation campaign and faces a criminalisation process that led to her requesting precautionary measures to the IACHR n order to protect the lives of her and her family.
As a sign of the lack of commitment to guaranteeing human rights, in May 2021 the legislative initiative to protect human rights defenders called the "Law for the recognition and integral protection of human rights defenders and the guarantee of the right to defend rights" was shelved. The State continues to fail its international obligations regarding the protection of human rights, and refuses to engage processes involving from international scrutiny, as in the case in the recent hearing on the human rights situation in which it was summoned by the IACHR. Additionally, the government actively works to discredit the positions and communiqués of international mechanisms and human rights organisations every time they denounce, express concern about the situation or issue any recommendations. This has led to attacks like the one perpetrated on 21 June 2021, when unknown individuals stole files from the CO-MADRES organisation containing sensitive information on investigations into people who disappeared during the armed conflict.
We express our deep concern about the risks faced by human rights defenders, journalists and their families, as well as the impacts of working in this challenging context. The State must cease attacks, ensure the separation of powers and the rule of law, and provide guarantees for the free exercise of the right to defend human rights and to exercise independent journalism.
We urge the international community and human rights organisations to remain vigilant of the situation and to speak out, particularly in view of the specific risks faced by women defenders and journalists. It is urgent to resolve the requests for protection measures and to guarantee effective mechanisms to protect their lives.
Authoritarian rule and hate speech that legitimises stigma and violence against those who advocating for justice, equality, and peace generate risk for the exercise of the defence of human rights and leave defenders and journalists defenceless – an unprecedented situation in El Salvador in peacetime.