According to the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES), the Foreign Agents Law could erode freedom of the press and the exercise of criticism.
The Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) warned late Friday that a proposed regulation of foreign agents sent by President Nayib Bukele to Congress is an attempt to apply a “gag” law.
“The recent initiative of the Presidency, which seeks to promote the approval of a Foreign Agents Law, is nothing more than a renewed attempt to apply special legislation that serves as a gag to criticism from civil society and investigative journalism”, APES said in a statement.
He added that the proposal “evidences the lack of a legislative technical study and the ignorance of the scope of the fundamental rights of the people.”
“The draft submitted to the Legislative Assembly includes provisions that would justify the authorities’ abusive control over informative material,” underlined the main organization of Salvadoran journalists and communicators.
It would also affect, according to APES, “reporting and investigation activities under the repeated excuse of interests related to ‘public order’ or ‘national security’.”
“With this new effort to erode freedom of the press and the exercise of criticism, the example of other authoritarian governments in the region is being followed,” APES said.
In El Salvador, media such as El Faro, Factum and Gatoencerrado, which are mainly dedicated to research, are supported by international organizations such as the Open Society Foundation, among others.
Statement of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA)
The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) warned yesterday of the negative effects on freedom of expression and of the press that the approval of this legislation would have.
Jorge Canahuati, president of the IAPA, and Carlos Jornet, president of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, stated that the Bukele proposal “imitates and deepens” a law that the Nicaraguan government “uses to muzzle critical and independent voices. “.
The director for the Americas of Human Rights Watch (HRW), José Miguel Vivanco, also affirmed that this bill seeks to “silence critical voices.”
“In authoritarian regimes like Russia and Nicaragua this type of legislation is common and has been used to stifle the press and civil society,” Vivanco posted on Twitter.
The humanitarian organization Cristosal also warned that this law would hit victims of violence in the country by making the work of human rights NGOs “unviable”.
The proposal was sent by President Bukele a few days after he told the United States to finance social organizations that in his opinion are the “political opposition.” (I)
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