REPORT Elections in El Salvador: Coercion, Intimidation and Arbitrary Detentions
Reports of arbitrary detentions, arrest of community leaders, use of daily arrest quotas by law enforcement agencies, re-arrest of individuals previously released, the establishment of military and police cordons in communities, as well as military presence in polling places are among the troubling findings of Cristosal’s monitoring of the 2024 Salvadoran presidential, legislative, municipal, and […]
Resilience and Determination to Reclaim a Life of Dignity
In Guatemala, our teams have witnessed the devastating effects of violence on impoverished communities, but also the resilience of individuals and families as they rebuild their lives with the accompaniment of our interdisciplinary human rights defenders. Sofi*, a 20-year-old Guatemalan woman, was the victim of sexual violence in her home. Her father was her primary […]
Election Crisis Undermines the Will of the Salvadoran People
The recently held presidential and legislative elections in El Salvador are marked by irregularities and actions that may constitute a crime of electoral fraud, both leading up to elections, on election day and in the days following. Cristosal monitored the election proceedings and detected constitutional and electoral law violations, including the following: The reports presented […]
Salvadorans Deserve Elections Free of Fear and Intimidation
El Salvador is about to hold presidential, legislative, and municipal elections under a state of exception, a situation that has only occurred previously under military dictatorships. The Salvadoran people’s right to vote freely has been curtailed under the regime as more than 75,000 people have been detained, disappeared, or more recently, dissuaded from participating in […]
The Salvadoran Justice System Fails the San Andres Massacre Victims for a Third Time
A third attempt to hold the trial in the San Andres case, where four alleged members of a death squad are being prosecuted, was expected to take place yesterday. But for the third time the trial has been suspended. The case involves members of a death squad accused of kidnapping, torturing and murdering five civilians […]
Cristosal continues to be vigilant in the face of threats to democracy in Guatemala
Bernardo Arévalo, a staunch anti-corruption advocate, was sworn in as Guatemala’s president early Monday morning after an inauguration day marked by chaos and protest. Opposition to his inauguration delayed the event for hours in the national congress, the latest in a series of attempts by opponents to obstruct the democratic process of his election. These […]
Investigation Reveals Patterns of Obstruction and Threats to Social Organizations
San Salvador, November 28, 2023. Social organizations in El Salvador face one of the most difficult environments since the signing of the Peace Accords: closing of spaces for citizen participation, obstacles to their legalization, harassment on social networks, censorship, obstruction, police harassment and threats of closure are some of the patterns that have been identified. […]
When the Exception Becomes the Rule: A look at penal reforms and their impact on civil liberties
Over the last two years several legal reforms have been introduced that affect the procedural guarantees for individuals. More than 30 legislative decrees have modified different laws, primarily in the area of criminal law. Read our analysis (English version). *Full Spanish versión: La excepción se volvió la norma. Una mirada a las reformas penales y […]
We condemn the attacks on the Al-Ahli Anglican Church hospital in Gaza City
Cristosal expresses our deep condolences for the lives lost in the brutal attack on the Al-Ahli Anglican Church hospital in Gaza City, Palestine. As a human rights organization founded as a missionary project of the Anglican Church, we condemn these attacks, which are grave violations of human rights and we join the call for peace, […]
We are still demanding justice for the Honduran Keyla Martinez
Today marks two and a half years since the murder of Honduran Keyla Martinez inside a police cell in Intibucá. Keyla Martinez, a nursing student, woke up like any other day and planned to meet with her friends. That night she was arrested for “”breaking curfew””. On Sunday morning, February 7, 2021, Keyla was found […]
