Event Summary
Since the Foreign Agents Law was approved and came into force in June 2025, civil society actors are increasingly being forced into exile to avoid arbitrary arrest and persecution. In May and June alone, dozens of journalists fled the country, joining an expanding wave of exiled civil society actors. Cristosal—a leading human rights organisation—also announced on 17 July 2025 that it is suspending operations in El Salvador and relocating to Guatemala, citing escalating repression and a deliberate strategy of exemplary punishment by the state. They mentioned that the arrest of their colleague Ruth López, is not an isolated case but part of a broader strategy of exemplary punishment meant for intimidations of civil society actors. This was also followed by another arrest of a constitutional lawyer Enrique Anaya who had criticised the arrest of López.
These developments underscore the rapidly shrinking enabling environment for civil society in El Salvador, as the new law is silencing critical voices and dismantling independent oversight. With civil society actors forced to close down or into exile, citizens are left increasingly vulnerable to unchecked state power.