CNN
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Prominent human rights groups critical of El Salvador President Naibe Bukere have halted operations within the country, citing government harassment, oppression and persecution of human rights defenders.
Noah Bullock, executive director of Cristosal, said the group will continue to operate from Guatemala and Honduras, and the actions of the Salvadora government have made it difficult for them to continue their work.
“We are forced to choose between prison or asylum,” Block said at a press conference in Guatemala on Thursday.
CNN contacted President Salvador to comment on Brock’s remarks.
Bukel has been cracking down on the iron-running crimes that have expanded to civil society groups and journalists. The government defends its actions and points to a massive reduction in gang violence across the country, but opponents say it has been at the expense of mass incarceration and erosion of civil liberty.
The announcement of Cristosal comes almost two months after one of its members, lawyer and human rights activist Ruth Eleonora López, was taken into custody by Salvadra authorities over allegations of illegal enrichment. López pleaded not guilty to the charges and demanded public trial.
Group leaders believe her detention is not an isolated case, but a turning point for them as an organization.
“The threat we have received, the criminalization of Ruth, the limited potential security guarantees, will not be outside but free than risking imprisonment in El Salvador,” Brock said Thursday.
“Currently, El Salvador does not provide any conditions for directly continuing this work,” added Abraham Abrego, Christosal’s litigation director.
Cristosal has been operating in El Salvador for 25 years. During Bukele’s administration, he conducted various investigations and criticized them for considering the worsening transparency, accountability, worsening democracy and worsening human rights abuses.
Meanwhile, the government has accused organizations like Cristosal of being political activists and ignoring Salvadoranian rights.
Cristosal is the latest group to be pushed out of the country as part of government crackdowns.
Investigation Outlet Elfaro has been running most of the operations in exile from Costa Rica since 2023. Earlier this year, some of the journalists fled the country expecting arrests for the job.
The Salvador Foreign Agent Act was another obstacle to Christosal. The law imposes a 30% tax on transactions, payments, donations or imports of physical items received by non-governmental organizations whose activities in El Salvador are funded from overseas. Taxes collected in accordance with the law are used for projects of general or social interests.
Rights groups describe the law as an existential threat.
“The intent is to apply the law discretionary to silence, and even criminalisation, to the United States and other human rights groups,” Bullock said.
“The Foreign Agents Act allows the authority to control any organization at its discretion. It imposes taxes on organizations. The government is solely discretionary to choose who will indict or who will not file a lawsuit,” Abrego added.
The law gives NGOs to register with the Ministry of Interiors until September 4th. Otherwise, they will not be able to operate and face fines ranging from $100,000 to $250,000. Cristosal said he has already submitted his registration but has not yet received a response.
