'We know what's coming: exile or prison' - Salvadoran journalist scar Martnez on surviving Bukele's crackdown

[Judi Lynn]

‘We know what’s coming: exile or prison’ – Salvadoran journalist Óscar Martínez on surviving Bukele’s crackdown

'The government uses polygraphs to question officials about whether they’ve spoken to El Faro'

Written by
Committee to Protect Journalists
Posted 7 July 2025

This interview was originally published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on June 4, 2025. An edited version is being republished on Global Voices under a content partnership agreement.

Journalists at the prominent investigative Central American media outlet El Faro knew the risks when they published a series of interviews with gang members alleging long-standing ties between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and criminal groups. What they didn’t know was how quickly the crackdown would escalate.

Within days of publication, sources close to El Salvador’s attorney general’s office warned that arrest warrants were imminent for seven of the outlet’s journalists. The purported charges, which include “unlawful association,” are typically used against alleged gang members. As a precaution, ten El Faro reporters have already left the country, with following suit during the month of June.

Just days after the interviews were published, the government escalated its crackdown against both journalists and human rights organizations. Ruth López, a prominent lawyer with the human rights group Cristosal, was abruptly arrested and charged with embezzlement. Two other activists remain in custody facing public disorder charges.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented years of harassment against the El Faro newsroom, from Pegasus spyware surveillance and baseless money laundering accusations to smear campaigns led by government officials. In a conversation with CPJ – conducted in Spanish and reproduced here in English, though edited for length and clarity – El Faro Editor-in-Chief Óscar Martínez, recipient of CPJ’s 2016 International Press Freedom Award, reflected on toll this new wave of persecution is taking.

More:
https://globalvoices.org/2025/07/07/we-know-whats-coming-exile-or-prison-salvadoran-journalist-oscar-martinez-on-surviving-bukeles-crackdown/

[WhiteTara]

1. tsf is taking note.