El Salvador, report show journalist exodus from the country

teleSUR English

In El Salvador, a report revealed that nearly 40 journalists have left the country due to pressure, threats, and fear of ending up in jail for criticizing the government of Nayib Bukele. Our correspondent, Roberto Hugo Preza, with the details. teleSUR

Transcript

00:00And in El Salvador, a report revealed that nearly 40 journalists have left the country

00:04due to pressure, threats, and fear of ending up in jail for criticizing the government

00:09of Nayib Bukele.

00:10Our correspondent Roberto Gopresa with the details.

00:19Independent opinion programs are disappearing.

00:22Julio Villaguerin had to leave a traditional channel to set up his digital project.

00:26He says that independent journalism is going through difficult times and that there is

00:31a lot of fear of expressing opinions.

00:36Independent journalism is complicated and practicing it is complicated also because of the difficulty

00:41we have with the people who shape opinion in the country at this time.

00:44We are experiencing a quite unusual situation in which people are very afraid to express

00:49themselves.

00:49A report by the Association of Salvadoran Journalists reveals that in recent months,

00:59about 40 journalists have left the country due to threats a reality that concerns the

01:03profession.

01:08There are very real threats to the press that dares to continue investigating and dares to

01:13continue exposing the corrupt and criminal face of the Bukele government.

01:16That is why the press is now being persecuted, and many journalists have had to leave the

01:21country to avoid any harm to their physical integrity.

01:28In recent weeks, critics such as lawyers Ruth Lofus of the Christosal Foundation and Enrique

01:36Nea, an opponent of the president re-election, were arrested on charges of illicit enrichment

01:41and money laundering.

01:41However, many believe that the idea is to silence their voices.

01:46The director of humanitarian legal assistance left the country for fear of suffering the

01:50same fate.

01:50And if they capture me, detain me illegally and arbitrarily, as they already do for sport

02:04in the country, I have no doubt that I would die within a few days in the prison system.

02:09So I have found myself obliged to leave and hope that one day I will be able to return to

02:13my country when the rule of law is restored.

02:19The latest survey by the University Institute of Opinion at the Central American University

02:27shows that 58% of Sal veterans feared negative consequences for criticizing the government.

02:31Yes, of course, it's a normal feeling, right?

02:38In every human being, the difference is whether or not you let fear enslave you.

02:42It's not the first time we've been persecuted, is it?

02:45For the fight for human rights.

02:47In recent weeks, street protests have decreased and the power to mobilize people has also declined

03:00in popular demonstrations.

03:02Many believe that this is due to fear of the regime of exception being applied.

03:06Roberto Hugo Presa, Telesur, El Salvador.

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