Affected: El Faro journalists
Date: June 9, 2025
This past weekend, El Faro journalists were forced to miss their flights back to El Salvador after being alerted by their sources and diplomatic contacts that the police had deployed forces to arrest some of them upon arrival at Monseñor Romero Airport. The journalists report that they remain abroad, awaiting further information to assess whether it is safe to return.
In early May, the outlet received reliable information that the Attorney General’s Office had prepared at least seven arrest warrants against its journalists. In addition, some government officials used their social media platforms to issue threats against the reporters.
On May 5, through their legal representative and with the support of APES and other organizations, several of these journalists submitted a written request to the Attorney General’s Office asking for information regarding any possible complaints or investigations against El Faro members. Although the 15-business-day deadline for an official response has passed and the lawyers have followed up, the office has not responded—further fueling suspicions of an unjustified persecution.
It is important to recall that, since 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) granted precautionary measures to 34 members of El Faro, “considering that they are in a serious and urgent situation posing a risk of irreparable harm to their rights.”
Following the authoritarian escalation in May and the arrests of well-known human rights defenders, there are already reports of a mass exodus of journalists from various media outlets, fearing for their safety. Some have reportedly been profiled and photographed by police. There are also serious allegations of police officers visiting and questioning relatives of an El Faro journalist.
APES demands that the State clarify the situation, guarantee the safe return and freedom of movement of all journalists in El Salvador, and calls on the international community to demand these actions from the Government.
El Faro is a news outlet that has been reporting in the country for over 27 years and is internationally recognized for its in-depth journalism and investigations into corruption and human rights violations. While journalists from this outlet have previously received threats from various governments, this is the first time they have been unable to re-enter the country due to the imminent risk of arrest.
