A prominent human rights group, Cristosal, has closed its offices in El Salvador due to threats and harassment from the police, forcing its two dozen employees to flee for neighboring countries. The move comes after years of surveillance and intimidation, with the group’s director, Noah Bullock, stating that it felt there was no legal recourse if its employees were detained.
Cristosal has compiled evidence of torture and abuses committed under President Nayib Bukele, particularly during a state of emergency imposed in 2022 to crack down on gangs. The organization has also investigated alleged corruption in Mr. Bukele’s government, including the misuse of public funds for Pegasus spyware used to spy on journalists and rights groups.
The group’s anti-corruption director, Ruth López, was arrested in May and remains imprisoned, while another lawyer, Enrique Anaya, who publicly denounced her arrest, was also detained. Mr. Bullock said that other Cristosal employees had been monitored and visited by the police at night, marking a “new wave of repression.”
The escalation comes as Mr. Bukele enjoys a strengthened relationship with the US following a deal to detain migrants deported by the Trump administration. However, human rights groups have raised concerns about eroding civil liberties and abuses under Mr. Bukele’s rule.
“Cristosal’s closure marks a dangerous turning point,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director for Human Rights Watch. “It sends a chilling message to survivors of abuse, civil society, and the press about the cost of standing up to power and denouncing corruption and human rights violations.”
The move follows a series of arrests targeting rights groups, lawyers, journalists, union leaders, environmental activists, and anyone who criticizes President Bukele. The government has also introduced a “foreign agents” law that taxes foreign contributions to NGOs at 30 percent, which the European Union condemned as a move to silence dissent.
Cristosal was formed in Vermont a quarter century ago and has maintained active offices in Guatemala and Honduras. Its employees now plan to work from those offices, citing the fact that attacking Cristosal sends a message to everybody.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/world/americas/el-salvador-cristosal-closes.html