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Bukele Embraces ‘Dictator’ Label to Justify Crackdown on Human Rights Activists

His government has enacted a law imposing a 30 percent tax on foreign-funded groups following the detention of several NGO leaders.

Le président du Salvador, Nayib Bukele, après avoir délivré un discours, le 2 juin 2025 à San Salvador
«Je préfère qu'on me traite de dictateur plutôt que de voir tuer des Salvadoriens»: Nayib Bukele défend sa politique anti-criminalité
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Overview

  • President Nayib Bukele insisted his hardline security approach warrants being called a dictator if it prevents gang violence and corruption.
  • He defended the May arrest of human rights advocate Ruth Lopez and two other NGO figures as essential to his anticorruption campaign.
  • Thirteen international rights organizations including Amnesty International and WOLA condemned the detentions and called for the immediate release of those held without due process.
  • Allies in the Salvadoran legislature approved a foreign agents law requiring groups with overseas funding to register and pay a 30 percent levy on incoming grants.
  • Human rights commissioner Andres Guzman resigned at the end of May after defending the president against violation accusations and critics warn of an escalating authoritarian trend.