Editorial video
The siege, explained
The five patterns of the closure of the civic space in El Salvador
Summary of the 5 patterns of the Closure of the Civic Space in El Salvador.
YouTube
Special
Anatomy of a Siege: How civic space was shut down in El Salvador
More than 90,000 detentions under the state of exception, 500 deaths in state custody, and the growing exile of journalists and human rights defenders reveal the human cost of the “Bukele Model.” Through six testimonies, FOCOS uncovers the patterns of a system that has evolved toward social control and the concentration of power.
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THE 5 PATTERNS OF THE CLOSURE
How did it happen?
The closure of civic space does not happen all at once.
El Salvador is facing a gradual closure marked by the stigmatization, harassment, and criminalization of human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society organizations. But this closure did not begin with the state of exception.
Attacks, threats, and surveillance are not isolated incidents.
They are part of a series of patterns that have become state policy.
VIDEO
The siege, explained
How the civic space was closed in El Salvador
Five patterns, one same logic: ending critical voices in El Salvador. In this video we summarize how the “Bukele Model” actually works, from public denunciation to criminalization and forced exile.
TESTIMONIALS
Testimonials Archive
Six stories to understand the closure.
This special edition gathers testimonials about how stigmatization, surveillance, threats, and legal pressure affected the lives of six people. Three went into exile to survive, three continue to resist with a high cost.
Inside El Salvador
Testimonial
Ángel Flores / MILPA
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Inside El Salvador
Testimonial
Vidalina Morales / ADES Santa Marta
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Inside El Salvador
Testimonial
Sonia Viñerta / MDCT
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Exiled
Testimonial
Malcolm Cartagena / Acción Ciudadana
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Exiled
Testimonial
Angélica Cárcamo / RCP
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Exiled
Testimonial
Ivania Cruz / UNIDEHC
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Explore the investigation
Read the more than 100 key events that marked the path toward the closure of civic space in El Salvador. Explore the full chronology or use the filter for each pattern to navigate it.
Timeline
Guided tour through key milestones
Select an event in the right-hand column to read its context, actors, and impact.
119events
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Institutional capture02/03/2019
Nayib Bukele wins the presidential election in the first round
Nayib Bukele wins the presidential election in the first round.
Actors involved
Nayib BukelePresidency
Impact on:
Institutions
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
This timeline reaches 2026. The setbacks don't.
What this investigation documents cannot be read as a closed story. Stigmatization, institutional capture, legal strangulation, direct repression, and forced exile describe a process whose consequences are still unfolding.
For this reason, this special issue does not propose a finality. It proposes a warning.