A human rights group in El Salvador reports at least 427 people have died in Salvadoran prisons since President Nayib Bukele imposed a “state of emergency” in March 2022. The following year, Bukele’s government authorized mass trials, with people accused of crimes systematically denied due process under the guise of combating gangs. There have been numerous reports of abuse and torture in El Salvador’s prisons.

In related news, the long-standing anti-corruption watchdog Cristosal says it has evacuated its staff from El Salvador amid Bukele’s crackdown on dissent. Authorities arrested prominent Cristosal lawyer Ruth López in May. She remains in detention. This is Cristosal’s executive director, Noah Bullock.

Noah Bullock: “You know, we have persisted through espionage monitoring, legal administrative harassment, defamation, but when it became clear that the government was prepared to persecute us criminally and that there’s no possibility of defense or an impartial trial, that makes it unviable to take those risks anymore.”