HRF condemns the freezing of assets of members of Salvadoran investigative outlet El Faro, in what appears to be a new escalation of political persecution against one of the country’s most important independent media voices. Nayib Bukele’s regime must stop using state institutions to intimidate civil society.

El Faro has repeatedly exposed state corruption and abuses in El Salvador. The asset freeze came shortly after the outlet released a documentary with PBS Frontline revealing negotiations between regime officials and gangs, raising serious concerns that financial measures are being used as retaliation for their investigative reporting.

This attack is part of a broader pattern of repression against independent voices in El Salvador. El Faro’s journalists have faced audits, spyware attacks, and legal harassment, forcing the outlet to move its headquarters to Costa Rica in 2023 as the civic space in El Salvador continued to shrink. The recent persecution of @Cristosal and the imprisonment of Ruth López, its legal director, are further evidence of the regime’s escalating crackdown on civil society and dissent.

Democracies must remain vigilant and condemn the use of financial investigations, asset freezes, and judicial harassment to silence critics. El Salvador must restore due process, protect press freedom, and end its persecution of independent journalists and human rights defenders.