In El Salvador, rights groups are warning of a worsening political crisis after the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly, which is controlled by the political party of President Nayib Bukele, voted to unseat five Supreme Court judges. The Salvadoran attorney general has also been dismissed. The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, or CISPES, is calling their ousting illegal and an assault on democratic institutions. Other Salvadoran groups condemned the move.

José Marinero: “We categorically condemn this coup d’état endorsed by President Bukele and executed by lawmakers of the New Ideas party and other parties, who, through the cooptation of justice, are trying to consummate an unquestionable authoritarian political project in which all powers respond to a single person.”

In response, CISPES is demanding the U.S. withdraw funding for the Salvadoran military and police and stop sending aid that they argue only benefits the economic interests of the corrupt elite.