El Salvador: PEN International Calls on Salvadoran Authorities to End Persecution of Journalists and Editors
Image Credit: Guayo Fuentes / Shutter Stock
“The systematic harassment of El Faro and other media outlets in El Salvador represents an alarming situation for press freedom and freedom of expression. PEN International calls on the Salvadoran government to cease the harassment and intimidation of journalists and editors. A democracy cannot be sustained by fear or silence.” – Burhan Sonmez, President of PEN International.
9 May 2025: On 3 May, it was reported that the El Salvador Attorney General's Office was preparing arrest warrants for El Faro journalists on charges of allegedly condoning criminal activity and ‘illicit groupings’ following the publication of an interview with a gang leader, according to the media outlet's management.
El Faro, a leading investigative journalism outlet in Latin America, has faced ongoing harassment by the Salvadoran authorities as a direct consequence of its journalistic work. Between June 2020 and November 2021, at least 22 members of El Faro were subjected to digital surveillance using Pegasus spyware while investigating the use of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency in the country.
The outlet has also been subjected to administrative harassment by the Ministry of Finance, which has imposed extraordinary audits, and it has been arbitrarily accused of money laundering and tax evasion in what PEN International believes to be intimidation tactics by the authorities aimed at delegitimising the work of El Faro. In addition, El Faro and its reporters have been targeted by defamation and stigmatisation campaigns on social media and official platforms, and have received direct threats from President Nayib Bukele on several occasions.
In February 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary measures to 34 members of the media outlet, recognising the risks and harassment they faced due to their journalistic work. After sustained pressure from the authorities, El Faro relocated its administrative and legal operations to Costa Rica in April 2023. However, its main editorial office remains in San Salvador.
Carlos Dada, founder of El Faro, editor, author, academic, and journalist, and Oscar Martínez, editor-in-chief, reporter, and author of the books Los migrantes que no importan (Migrants who don't matter) and Los muertos y el periodista (The dead and the journalist), along with other members of the newsroom, have been subjected to digital surveillance, legal harassment, and threats to their lives for their investigative journalism.
Since March 2022, the Salvadoran government has maintained a state of emergency, ostensibly to combat gang violence. This measure has had severe repercussions on the exercise of human rights, including freedom of expression and press freedom, and has significantly curtailed journalists’ ability to conduct independent investigations.
Local organisations such as the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) have documented an increase in the harassment of journalists, including through surveillance, threats, and restricted access to public information. In 2024, attacks on Salvadoran journalists doubled compared to the previous year.
The lack of transparency and the criminalisation of reporting on gangs, violence and security, among other topics, have created a climate of self-censorship. Additionally, recently enacted cybersecurity and data protection laws contain broad provisions that threaten press freedom and the right to privacy. These laws give authorities wide discretion to control and penalise the dissemination of information, potentially silencing critical voices.
PEN International calls on the government of El Salvador to:
Immediately end legal, judicial, and administrative harassment and threats against journalists and media outlets;
Cease stigmatising messages against journalists, editors, and authors; and
Uphold freedom of expression and press freedom in accordance with international human rights standards.
Note to Editors:
For further information please contact Alicia Quinones, Head of the Americas region at PEN International, email: [email protected]
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, PEN International Communications and Campaigns Manager, email: [email protected]