{"code":"26376","sect":"El Salvador","sect_slug":"el-salvador","hits":"691","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202209\/el_salvador\/26376","link_edit":"","name":"State of Exception Confirms Divide between US Dems and GOP over Bukele","slug":"state-of-exception-confirms-divide-between-us-dems-and-gop-over-bukele","info":"The Republican co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission skipped a special hearing on human rights abuses in El Salvador after receiving a complaint from the Salvadoran ambassador about the list of panelists. Republicans\u2019 ambivalence toward Bukele is a sign that the Salvadoran administration\u2019s expensive lobbying efforts are swaying top GOP policy makers away from supporting stronger U.S. measures in El Salvador.","mtag":"Politics","noun":{"html":"\u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/jlsanz'\u003E Jos\u00e9 Luis Sanz\u003C\/span\u003E y \u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/rgressier'\u003E Roman Gressier\u003C\/span\u003E","data":{"jose-luis-sanz":{"sort":"jlsanz","slug":"jose-luis-sanz","path":"jose_luis_sanz","name":"Jos\u00e9 Luis Sanz","edge":"0","init":"0"},"roman-gressier":{"sort":"rgressier","slug":"roman-gressier","path":"roman_gressier","name":"Roman Gressier","edge":"1","init":"0"}}},"view":"691","pict":{"cms-image-000037510-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37510","name":"cms-image-000037510.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037510.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037510.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037510-jpg","text":"<p>Salvadoran officials claimed to have made just under 27,000 arrests during El Salvador's state of exception through May 9, making for an average of over 600 per day. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ESalvadoran officials claimed to have made just under 27,000 arrests during El Salvador's state of exception through May 9, making for an average of over 600 per day. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037964-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"37964","name":"cms-image-000037964.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037964.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037964.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037964-jpg","text":"<p>El 26 de abril de 2022, bajo el R\u00e9gimen de Excepci\u00f3n, fue capturado Jos\u00e9 Leonidas Bonilla en su casa en San Juan Opico. Padec\u00eda de presi\u00f3n arterial y del coraz\u00f3n. Seg\u00fan sus familiares, no recibi\u00f3 sus medicamentos en cuatro meses y en agosto termin\u00f3 en el hospital de Zacamil, donde muri\u00f3 por fallas en coraz\u00f3n, cerebro, ri\u00f1ones e h\u00edgado.\u00a0 Su funeral ocurri\u00f3 el d\u00eda en que ten\u00eda programada la audiencia de su proceso.\u00a0<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EEl 26 de abril de 2022, bajo el R\u00e9gimen de Excepci\u00f3n, fue capturado Jos\u00e9 Leonidas Bonilla en su casa en San Juan Opico. Padec\u00eda de presi\u00f3n arterial y del coraz\u00f3n. Seg\u00fan sus familiares, no recibi\u00f3 sus medicamentos en cuatro meses y en agosto termin\u00f3 en el hospital de Zacamil, donde muri\u00f3 por fallas en coraz\u00f3n, cerebro, ri\u00f1ones e h\u00edgado.\u00a0 Su funeral ocurri\u00f3 el d\u00eda en que ten\u00eda programada la audiencia de su proceso.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037990-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37990","name":"cms-image-000037990.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037990.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037990.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037990-jpg","text":"<p>U.S. Representative Jim McGovern gives a press conference on June 22, 2022, in Washington, D.C., to call on the United States to sign a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. Photo: Brandon Bell\/Getty Images\/AFP<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EU.S. Representative Jim McGovern gives a press conference on June 22, 2022, in Washington, D.C., to call on the United States to sign a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. Photo: Brandon Bell\/Getty Images\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":37964,"date":{"live":"2022\/09\/14"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2022","data_post_dateLive_MM":"09","data_post_dateLive_DD":"14","text":"\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202209\/el_salvador\/26370\/R%C3%A9gimen-de-Excepci%C3%B3n-confirma-divisi%C3%B3n-entre-Dem%C3%B3cratas-y-Republicanos-respecto-a-Bukele.htm\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003ELeer en espa\u00f1ol\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn Monday, the United States strongly criticized the human rights abuses committed under the state of exception in El Salvador during a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/humanrightscommission.house.gov\/events\/hearings\/state-exception-el-salvador\"\u003Especial hearing\u003C\/a\u003E convened by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the House of Representatives. The hearing exposed differences between Republicans and Democrats, as well as in Democrats\u2019 ranks, over what strategy Washington should pursue amid President Nayib Bukele\u2019s authoritarian drift.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cSome of the measures taken [by El Salvador] during the state of exception contradict established human rights norms,\u201d testified Emily Mendrala, deputy assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs. \u201cIn private exchanges with the government of El Salvador, the Department [of State] has stressed the importance of respect for human rights, including guarantees of a fair trial,\u201d she continued. \u201cIn a democracy, all those accused of crimes must face a transparent justice system.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EScott Busby, deputy assistant secretary of State of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, underscored the hundreds of reports of arrests of innocent people carried out under the argument of fighting gangs, and questioned Salvadoran authorities\u2019 assertions that cases are systematically reviewed in order to free the innocent. \u201cWhatever current review mechanism is not working, or is working too slowly to be effective,\u201d said Busby. \u201cIf [the state of exception] continues, we anticipate lasting impacts on human rights and the rule of law.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ECongressman James McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat who conducted the hearing, took an even harder line, calling the state of exception \u201cdraconian.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe congressman criticized Bukele\u2019s policy of mass detentions, asserting that the total of more than 50,000 arrests in five months \u201chas no equivalent in Latin America, not even in the worst days of military dictatorships.\u201d He added, \u201cIt\u2019s a number that makes me think of Turkey under Erdogan or Egypt under El-Sisi,\u201d comparing the Salvadoran president with two heads of state internationally condemned for their repressive policy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37990 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"U.S. Representative Jim McGovern gives a press conference on June 22, 2022, in Washington, D.C., to call on the United States to sign a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. Photo: Brandon Bell\/Getty Images\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E U.S. Representative Jim McGovern gives a press conference on June 22, 2022, in Washington, D.C., to call on the United States to sign a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons. Photo: Brandon Bell\/Getty Images\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn a prudent tone, Busby told McGovern on multiple occasions that the State Department \u201cshares your concerns.\u201d The congressman dedicated almost two-thirds of the two-hour hearing to the testimony of representatives from the Lutheran organization Cristosal, the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), Human Rights Watch, and Salvadoran journalist H\u00e9ctor Silva \u00c1valos, all of them fierce critics of the state of exception and of Bukele\u2019s strategy to consolidate power carried out over the past three years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe Monday hearing, in fact, was convened at the request of an array of human rights organizations in El Salvador due to the lack of institutional recourse to denounce abuses in a country where the three branches of the state are controlled by Bukele. The Salvadoran government was not invited to testify.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENoah Bullock, the executive director of Cristosal, told the commission that the number of in-custody deaths during the state of exception has reached at least 76 and underscored the \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202208\/el_salvador\/26351\/Two-Months-after-Wrongful-Arrest-Don-Paco-Returned-Home-in-a-Casket.htm\"\u003Eat least three dozen autopsies\u003C\/a\u003E showing signs of torture and of possible \u201cextrajudicial killings.\u201d He testified that the Attorney General\u2019s Office has not investigated any of the in-custody deaths, contradicting the Salvadoran government\u2019s formal \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202208\/el_salvador\/26330\/Estado-salvadore%C3%B1o-admiti%C3%B3-a-la-ONU-que-investiga-muertes-en-c%C3%A1rceles-durante-el-R%C3%A9gimen.htm\"\u003Ereport to the United Nations\u003C\/a\u003E on July 26, following the visit of a delegation representing six U.N. offices inquiring about patterns of human rights abuses detected under the emergency measures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBullock also reported that the organization has received reports from family members of \u201cwarnings from the authorities that they would suffer retaliation for speaking to human rights organizations, and specifically mentioning Cristosal.\u201d The organization has documented 416 cases of detained family members who faced intimidation or violence for reporting abuse. Of these, 112 were threatened with additional arrests, and of this latter group 68 were detained in retaliation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInternal Differences\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAt the hearing, Mendrala asked on behalf of the State Department for \u201cbipartisan backing from Congress\u201d in pushing for efforts to address violence in the hemisphere to be carried out \u201cin a sustainable, ethical, and democratic fashion.\u201d She avoided attributing solely to Bukele a longstanding practice \u2014abuse of force by authoritarian governments\u2014 throughout the continent. It was also a subtle lamentation of the partisan divide that, since Joe Biden entered the White House, has hamstrung the U.S. government\u2019s already complicated array of actions in Central America.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn recent weeks, sources in the State Department have told El Faro that possible differences with the Republican party, as one source asserts, \u201chave not been an important factor\u201d in the administration\u2019s evident problems with forming a diplomatic strategy in El Salvador, \u201cas opposed to what\u2019s happening in Guatemala,\u201d where \u201cfew Democrats even grasp the lobby that they have created in Washington\u201d \u2014 a reference to business elites and the government of Alejandro Giammattei. But no Republicans were even present at the commission on Monday to hear Mendrala\u2019s call for unity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENew Jersey Republican Christopher Smith, who co-chairs the commission with McGovern, had planned to participate but excused himself at the last minute and limited himself to sending a written statement that, while containing strong criticism of Bukele, minimizes his excesses and dedicates half of the space to denouncing repression in Nicaragua and questioning Democrats\u2019 priorities in the region.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cWe can all agree that President Bukele has failed to live up to the expectations many observers had of him as signaling a fresh break from the past and the traditional, corrupt parties of Left and Right,\u201d he wrote in the declaration, adding that Bukele is \u201cat his core a populist\u201d who \u201cone might liken to a Peronist,\u201d a reference to the personalistic and trans-ideological movement founded in the 1940s by Argentinian President Juan Domingo Per\u00f3n.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cBukele continues to confound,\u201d wrote Smith. \u201cBut that said, I do wonder why we are focusing on El Salvador and not its neighbor Nicaragua, where the abuses of rights are far, far more advanced and egregious.\u201d \u201cBukele should be condemned for bullying the other two branches of government,\u201d he said, but underscored that Salvadorans had, \u201cin their wisdom,\u201d granted him a supermajority in the legislature in 2021. \u201cWhile one may not like the results,\u201d he added, \u201cEl Salvador still is a democracy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Ciframe src=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1b_gsuCS3kVji8W4v1fobdNnViWksJ6tX\/preview\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\"\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMultiple top Republicans\u2019 ambivalence toward Bukele can be partly attributed to his multimillion-dollar investment in Washington lobbying efforts to sway top party members to stay out of efforts to pressure his government. On July 28, in a Senate hearing to \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202209\/centroamerica\/26360\/US-Senate-Poised-to-Finally-Confirm-Four-Ambassadors-to-Central-America.htm\"\u003Eevaluate the candidacy of career diplomat William Duncan\u003C\/a\u003E as ambassador to El Salvador, Florida Republican Marco Rubio said of the Bukele administration: \u201cWe don\u2019t have to clap or celebrate all the stuff that we don\u2019t think is good, but we have a national security interest that needs to be balanced.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ESmith\u2019s absence from the commission hearing could be interpreted as another small diplomatic victory for Bukele. El Faro confirmed that the Salvadoran Embassy sent the congressman a formal complaint on September 9, calling on the commission to \u201cconsider including in the panel a more balanced perspective,\u201d offering to propose names, and protesting that it had accepted as a valid source El Faro\u2019s investigation revealing that the spike in homicides in March, cited as the reason for the state of exception, was \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202205\/el_salvador\/26177\/Collapsed-Government-Talks-with-MS-13-Sparked-Record-Homicides-in-El-Salvador-Audios-Reveal.htm\"\u003Esparked by the collapse of negotiations\u003C\/a\u003E between the Bukele administration and the gangs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe letter offered the congressman a meeting with Ambassador Milena Mayorga to \u201cclarify the government\u2019s position\u201d and \u201cthe facts distorted by misleading information.\u201d That same day, Mayorga took to social media to protest the inclusion of journalist H\u00e9ctor Silva as a panelist.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn a written response, Smith\u2019s office pointed to their Democrat colleagues on the committee as responsible for selecting the panelists and expressed that they share the Embassy\u2019s concerns about \u201cthe lack of balance in the witnesses,\u201d though they added that \u201cthere are aspects of the policy and conduct of the government [of El Salvador] that can be legitimately questioned.\u201d El Faro asked the office if the ambassador\u2019s letter had motivated the congressman\u2019s absence from the hearing, but did not receive a response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EConstitutional lawyer Leonor Arteaga, who testified on behalf of DLPF, one of the organizations to request the hearing, lamented Smith\u2019s absence. \u201cIf the Republicans continue giving space or even a certain amount of backing to Bukele, he will cling to it,\u201d she told El Faro. \u201cIt will give him oxygen for some time.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u201cA pistol on the table\u201d\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThere is a divide among Democrats, too, over U.S. policy in El Salvador. McGovern addressed his remarks on Monday \u201cto those who withhold their criticism of the government of El Salvador saying that President Bukele\u2019s actions are popular and that his approval ratings are high,\u201d an evident allusion to those in the White House, State Department, and Congress who cite polling as a limiting factor for the United States to make unequivocal condemnations or apply tougher sanctions on El Salvador and government officials there. \u201cPopular doesn\u2019t mean right,\u201d said McGovern.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETiziano Breda, Central America analyst for the International Crisis Group, argues that the hearing\u2019s target audience \u201cmay be the Biden administration itself, to spur more proactivity in diplomatic efforts and possible measures.\u201d He adds, \u201cUntil now the Biden administration has been quite cautious in expressing itself and hasn\u2019t had a clear strategy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJournalist H\u00e9ctor Silva, who testified at the hearing, agrees. \u201cIn general, the Biden administration doesn\u2019t know what to do in the Northern Triangle. There are two visions in the administration and in Congress: one is of reconciliation, that given the matters of China and Russia, which have enormous weight in Washington, they can\u2019t burn all of their bridges,\u201d Silva told El Faro. \u201cThe second argues that, unless they more directly attack the problem, El Salvador and Guatemala will replicate the scenario of Nicaragua. This faction, though, doesn\u2019t have a clear path and is still debating how to use the tools that the U.S. possesses.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMcGovern is in the second group. The congressman asked the White House to exert more pressure on Bukele through multilateral institutions, \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202112\/centroamerica\/25875\/Senador-Men%C3%A9ndez-%E2%80%9CNicaragua-y-El-Salvador-no-deber%C3%ADan-gozar-de-preferencia-comercial%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Ecommerce\u003C\/a\u003E, travel warnings, and audits of U.S. aid money and loans. At the hearing he was visibly worried about the possibility that the more pragmatic in the Biden administration could win out.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFor example, he openly criticized the State Department\u2019s most recent report on international drug interdiction efforts that stated that the democratic decline in El Salvador does not affect the countries\u2019 partnership in U.S. anti-drug efforts. \u201cI was shocked by the assertion in the 2021 international narcotics control strategy report that democratic backsliding has had limited impact on El Salvador's ability to act as a cooperative and willing partner for the United States counternarcotics efforts,\u201d he said. \u201cI would have thought that gutting the rule of law, as Bukele has done systematically since taking office, would be an obvious blow to serious efforts to deal with El Salvador\u2019s entrenched gangs.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3067&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37510 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Salvadoran officials claimed to have made just under 27,000 arrests during El Salvador's state of exception through May 9, making for an average of over 600 per day. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Salvadoran officials claimed to have made just under 27,000 arrests during El Salvador's state of exception through May 9, making for an average of over 600 per day. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe organizations who testified in the hearing adopted the same stance as McGovern. The interim Americas director for Human Rights Watch, Tamara Taraciuk, called on the United States to \u201csend a clear-cut message that it will not be an ally to governments that do not respect judicial independence, and that continuing attacks on the courts and \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202208\/el_salvador\/26320\/State-of-Exception-Breaks-Record-for-Habeas-Corpus-Petitions-since-End-of-Salvadoran-Civil-War.htm\"\u003Ewidespread human rights violations\u003C\/a\u003E as those being committed in El Salvador will carry consequences, including, if necessary, the suspension of military aid.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe Biden administration has \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202207\/centroamerica\/26278\/US-Shows-Its-Teeth-on-Engel-List.htm\"\u003Ewithdrawn the visas and frozen the assets\u003C\/a\u003E of a dozen current and former officials in the Bukele administration accused of corruption or anti-democratic actions. In 2021, USAID cut funding to the National Civil Police, Attorney General\u2019s Office, Supreme Court, and Institute for Access to Public Information following the illegal destitution of the Constitutional Court magistrates and attorney general. The announcement that those funds would be redirected to civil society groups and to support independent journalism would fuel accusations from Bukele, months later, that the United States and other countries had financed mass-anti-government protests that September.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn the Monday hearing, Deputy Assistant Secretary Busby underscored the creation of the Voices Program, announced by USAID Administrator Samantha Power at the Americas SUmmit in June, that will allot $42 million to \u201cpromoting digital democracy and freedom of expression, strengthen independent media, and counteract criminalization\u201d in order to \u201cprotect, defend, and promote civic space in Central America.\u201d In his testimony, H\u00e9ctor Silva cited another journalist who argues that the state of exception is a permanent warning to critical voices: \u201cIt\u2019s a pistol on the table, that even when it\u2019s not pointed at you it reminds you that at any moment they can pick it up and shoot you.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInternational Challenge\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EDespite the verbal hostilities between the two governments, the United States claims that it has maintained a line of communication with Bukele. Busby told the commission that, in the fifth consecutive extension of the state of exception in August, the Salvadoran government yielded to its requests to restore the right to free association. The rights to defense, presumed innocence, private communications, and to not self-incriminate remain suspended.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe State Department has yet to decide whether to certify El Salvador to receive U.S. aid, a decision that, by law, requires commitment to fighting corruption and impunity, transparency and institutionality, respect for judicial independence, and protection of the rights of civil society, the political opposition, and the press. According to documents published in the Federal Register, Honduras is the only government in northern Central America to have been certified thus far this year.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOther diplomatic delegations have kept silent about the numerous reports of arbitrary detentions and torture during the state of exception. This week Birgit Gerstenberg, the U.N. resident coordinator in El Salvador, drew intense controversy after the state newspaper Diario El Salvador drew from \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/diarioelsalvador.com\/naciones-unidas-respeta-aplicacion-del-regimen-de-excepcion-y-augura-buen-resultado\/269739\/\"\u003Ea statement she made\u003C\/a\u003E to publish the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/diarioelsalvador.com\/naciones-unidas-respeta-aplicacion-del-regimen-de-excepcion-y-augura-buen-resultado\/269739\/\"\u003Efront-page headline\u003C\/a\u003E, \u201cUN positively evaluates the state of exception.\u201d Immediate criticism from human rights organizations forced Gerstenberg to \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BGerstenbergUN\/status\/1568391880928546816?s=20&t=Qsd1MOTGdMCFWnViu3KP1A\"\u003Eissue a clarification\u003C\/a\u003E, stating that while declaring a state of exception \u201cis states\u2019 sovereign decision,\u201d \u201cthe measures should be framed by respect for human rights.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EPer government figures, authorities have arrested an average of 304 people per day since it was enacted on March 27. Human rights organizations have denounced constant arbitrary detentions and torture, like government use of pepper spray against detainees, food rationing, forced standing, invasions of private property, and due process violations. An investigation by El Faro found that \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202208\/el_salvador\/26298\/State-of-Exception-Files-Hundreds-Arrested-for-Prior-Convictions-or-%E2%80%9CLooking-Nervous%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Ehundreds of arrests were made on spurious grounds\u003C\/a\u003E such as displaying \u201cnervousness\u201d in front of police officers or soldiers or having a police file for time already served or even for charges that ended in exonerations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBullock told the congressional commission that his organization has received 2,698 corroborated reports of official misconduct under the state of exception. \u201cThis experience has shown that the defense of Salvadorans accused of crimes under the state of exception is all but impossible,\u201d he said. Cristosal also has reports of between 200 and 600 people who, at the time of their defense hearing, were absent from court.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBreda, from Crisis Group, agrees with Cristosal. He says that the hearing on Monday \u201cis the result of the ineffectiveness of national authorities as well as the Inter-American circuit and the U.N. in opening spaces for certain changes in this government policy.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETaraciuk, of Human Rights Watch, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2022\/09\/12\/el-salvador-statement-us-house-tom-lantos-human-rights-commission\"\u003Etestified\u003C\/a\u003E that the organization has documented at least seven cases of individuals with mental illness who were detained and accused of having illicit ties to gangs and insisted that there are systematic practices of deprivation of medical treatment to detainees with chronic illnesses and cases of detainees without access to food or drinking water. She called for \u201cincreased oversight mechanisms for existing and new loans so they contribute to protecting human rights.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cThey know what has been said here today,\u201d said Taraciuk, in reference to member of the international community who have stayed silent, \u201cbut it\u2019s not a priority when they talk about human rights in the region.\u201d She added, \u201cWe\u2019re at an inflection point.\u201d After the hearing she \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TamaraTaraciuk\/status\/1569424026262544386?s=20&t=nZnEEuHaaOAcyodID4E-3Q\"\u003Etweeted\u003C\/a\u003E: \u201cThe US has a central role to play in preventing El Salvador from becoming the region's next dictatorship.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E"}