Ahead of the February 4 presidential elections in El Salvador, CPJ joined a coalition of press freedom organizations in a mission to document the rights situation of journalists to ensure they could carry out their work without fear.
The coalition, which included Article 19 Mexico and Central America, Protection International Mesoamerica, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), and the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES), collaborated with civil society groups and journalists to address pressing challenges faced by the press during the pivotal electoral period.
On February 1, the coalition announced the mission to El Salvador and called upon the government to foster an environment conducive to journalistic endeavors, safeguard citizen’s right to be informed, and reinforce the media’s role in strengthening democracy. Read the full statement here.
On February 5, after the elections, the coalition expressed concern that the government used emergency measures to control information and stigmatize critical media during the elections and highlighted instances of self-censorship and other obstacles faced by journalists. Read the full statement here.