Salvadoran Political Persecution Escalates into Systemic State Repression Amid Judicial Capture

Between 2019 and 2025, El Salvador has witnessed a disturbing rise in political persecution targeting lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders, and other civic actors. An exhaustive report by the humanitarian organization Cristosal documents at least 245 individuals subjected to politically motivated repression, signaling a deep regression away from the peace and freedoms promised after the historic 1992 Peace Accords. How Can a Nation Betray Its Own Democratic Foundations? The findings paint a clear picture: once selective harassment has morphed into a structural, judicialized model of repression. The watershed moment came in 2021 when the ruling party, Nuevas Ideas, seized control...