Mexico City, May 7, 2025—Salvadoran authorities should drop all criminal proceedings against journalists with El Faro, after the independent news site published video interviews with two gang leaders about their alleged years-long relationship with President Nayib Bukele, said the Committee to Protect Journalists Wednesday.
“Treating journalism as a criminal act deprives Salvadorans of essential information,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America program coordinator. “Prosecutors should abandon these cases now and ensure El Faro journalists can safely report on matters of public interest.”
On May 3, El Faro reported that sources close to the attorney general’s office had warned of imminent warrants for seven of its reporters on two possible charges: apología del delito (“advocacy of crime”), which is punishable by six months to two years in prison, and agrupaciones ilícitas (“unlawful association”), which carries a five- to 10-year prison term. Both statutes are commonly used against suspected gang members.
Salvadoran authorities have detained some 85,000 people since March 2022, when Bukele announced a crackdown on gangs under a state of emergency, suspending constitutional rights and civil liberties.
El Faro editor-in-chief Óscar Martínez, a 2016 recipient of CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award, told CPJ that the warrants followed a smear campaign by government officials accusing the outlet of being financed by gangs. On Tuesday, human rights lawyers with the Salvadoran Journalists Association formally requested that the prosecutor’s office provide information on the alleged investigation into El Faro’s journalists.
CPJ emailed El Salvador’s attorney general’s office and the president’s office but did not receive any reply.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
CPJ Staff | Radio Free (2025-05-07T23:12:47+00:00) 7 Salvadorian journalists face charges after report on president’s alleged gang ties. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2025/05/07/7-salvadorian-journalists-face-charges-after-report-on-presidents-alleged-gang-ties/
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