Exiled Salvadoran journalist, Nelson Zablah, speaks of constant fear: "We exist under the shadow of imminent doom"

In the past few years, El Salvador has seen a significant decline in its global ranking of press freedom, losing almost 70 points since 2018, according to Reporters Without Borders. This slide has been marked by a pervasive persecution of the free press, resulting in journalists leaving the country in large numbers due to the risk of persecution.

The judicial system in El Salvador is currently under the control of the dictatorship, and the state of exception approved in 2022 has led to numerous arrests in Salvadoran prisons, often without evidence or constitutional rights for the accused. Conditions within these prisons are poor, with people disappearing within the system, and family members often unaware of their loved ones' whereabouts or whether they are receiving their packages.

Over 400 deaths have been registered in Salvadoran prisons in the last three years, and the Attorney General's Office has been accused of not following the law that requires evidence in favor of the accused to be sought. This lack of due process has led to a situation where the government's word is the only one that matters, and there's no way to defend oneself.

The persecution of journalists is a particular concern. Nelson Rauda Zablah, a journalist, has been publishing secret agreements between President Nayib Bukele and gangs in El Salvador. These agreements, which were first reported in 2015 when Bukele was mayor of San Salvador, involve gang members being given important positions in the Cuscatlán market. By 2021, audio of Carlos Marroquín, a member of the Government and Bukele's right-hand man for negotiating with the gangs, was published, confirming he transported gang members under arrest orders to the border with Guatemala.

Arrest warrants have been issued against journalists from El Faro for revealing the reality of the state. The U.S. President, Donald Trump, reached an agreement with Bukele to deport migrant gang members, but El Salvador gains no benefit from it. Bukele is receiving detained gang members from the U.S. as potential witnesses in trials against the Salvadoran government and Bukele for his pacts with the gangs.

The agreements between Bukele and the gangs are about political influence, with the gangs controlling many territories and pressuring people to vote for Bukele. The state of exception is no longer used for fighting crime, but as a political and social control tool. Evangelical pastors, environmental leaders, human rights activists, and journalists have been arrested under the state of exception.

The U.S. Treasury accused Bukele's government in December 2021 of secretly negotiating with the criminal gangs Mara Salvatrucha and the 18th Street Gang (Mara 18) to reduce the murder rate in El Salvador. Sanctions were imposed on two officials for repeatedly negotiating with these gangs, but Bukele denied these allegations, stating the U.S. sought "absolute submission" instead of cooperation.

Organizations document people detained for reasons such as having a tattoo, being in the wrong place, or because a policeman didn't like them. Police officers have quotas to capture a certain number of people, and there have been no consequences for those who violate these measures. This climate of fear and repression has led many to question the future of democracy in El Salvador.

Exiled Salvadoran journalist, Nelson Zablah, speaks of constant fear: "We exist under the shadow of imminent doom"