El Salvador’s Bukele Is Chilling Free Speech, Top Editor Says
- He’s auditing a news site whose reporting angered him
- Hundreds of writers and some U.S. representatives complain
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In the 16 months since Nayib Bukele became president of El Salvador, hopes that he’d apply his youthful vigor to reducing corruption and restoring institutions have yielded to concerns over autocratic tendencies. Last February, he marched soldiers into the legislature; in April he defied the supreme court.
In recent weeks, focus has turned to attacks on journalists. He’s banned some reporters from news conferences. His government launched an audit of a respected news site, El Faro, that has reported on corruption in government contracts and suggested Bukele may have cut a secret deal with powerful street gangs to cut the murder rate.