The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday submitted a statement to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan body of the U.S. House of Representatives, calling attention to the systematic erosion of press freedom in El Salvador under the ongoing state of exception. The statement, filed during the “The State of Exception in El Salvador: Year Five” hearing in Washington, D.C., outlines how emergency measures in the country have been used to criminalize independent journalism, restrict access to public information, and enable surveillance, legal harassment, and intimidation of reporters.
CPJ’s submission details how these conditions have forced at least 40 journalists into exile while those who remain face self-censorship and risk of arbitrary detention. Additionally, the ongoing state of exception situates El Salvador within a broader regional pattern of authoritarian practices used to silence the press and calls on U.S. policymakers to press for safeguards that protect journalists and restore democratic accountability.
Read a copy of CPJ’s submission in English here and in Spanish here.