El Salvador: PEN International condemns attacks against El Faro and its journalists
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‘Actions targeting Salvadoran media outlets, journalists and authors represent a grave attack on freedom of expression and society’s right to be informed. The weaponisation of judicial, fiscal, and administrative mechanisms to intimidate, economically suffocate, and silence critical media undermines freedom of expression and deeply weakens any democratic system,’ said Romana Cacchioli, Executive Director of PEN International.
15 May 2026: PEN International strongly condemns the recent escalation of attacks against Salvadoran media outlet El Faro, including the freezing of assets and bank accounts linked to two partners of Trípode S.A., the investigative newspaper’s parent company. These actions form part of a systematic pattern of harassment against independent journalism and critical voices in El Salvador.
In recent years, journalists, writers, artists, human rights defenders, and critical voices have faced censorship, smear campaigns, surveillance, judicial threats, forced exile, and various forms of state persecution. PEN International warns that the use of government apparatuses to repress dissent is creating an increasingly hostile environment for independent journalism and criticism in the country.
The latest harassment against El Faro took place following the release of the documentary The Deal on 8 April 2026, which presents alleged agreements between the Bukele administration and the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs. Days after the documentary’s release, Salvadoran authorities froze a bank account and a property belonging to two partners of Trípode S.A., the company linked to the outlet. These measures were reportedly carried out without prior judicial notification and under accusations related to alleged tax debts.
Fiscal harassment against El Faro and its journalists dates back to 2020, when President Bukele publicly announced investigations against the outlet for alleged money laundering. Subsequently, the Ministry of Finance conducted multiple audits related to the newspaper’s funding and later pursued accusations of alleged tax evasion. According to the outlet’s director, Carlos Dada, none of these investigations has resulted in a final ruling, and the newspaper has demonstrated compliance with its tax obligations. Journalists from the outlet have also denounced smear campaigns, judicial threats, espionage, surveillance, and digital attacks aimed at silencing their investigations into corruption and negotiations between the government and criminal structures.
The situation of freedom of expression in El Salvador has deteriorated dramatically over the past year. According to the Asociación de Periodistas de El Salvador (APES), at least 400 attacks against reporters were documented, and more than 50 journalists were forced into exile in 2025 due to fears of reprisals or imprisonment, including much of El Faro’s core newsroom staff.
PEN International has documented the persecution of journalists and authors targeted in El Salvador, including journalist and author Óscar Martínez D’Aubuisson, editor-in-chief of El Faro. The organisation warns that the case reflects a broader pattern of persecution against those investigating corruption, violence, and abuses of power in El Salvador.
PEN International urges the government of El Salvador to immediately cease its harassment against El Faro, authors, and other independent media outlets; guarantee full respect for freedom of expression and press freedom; and end the arbitrary use of fiscal, judicial, and administrative proceedings against journalists, authors and media outlets.
Note to Editors
For more information, please contact Alicia Quiñones, Head of the Americas Region, PEN International: [email protected]
For media queries, please contact Sabrina Tucci, Head of Communications and Campaigns, PEN International: [email protected]