El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele responds with applause after a US lawmaker sends a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighting human rights abuses in the Central American country and other concerns ahead of the election. Ta.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, and Rep. Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas. Barbara Lee, Democrat of California. Jim McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts; Raul M. Grijalva, Democrat of Arizona. Illinois Democrat Jesús G. “Chuy” García sent a letter Tuesday asking the secretary to “send a clear message to the Salvadoran government, both publicly and privately, about the importance of respecting the Constitution and democratic norms. ” he asked.
“We write this letter to express our grave concerns about democratic backsliding and increasing reports of human rights violations in El Salvador,” the U.S. lawmakers wrote. “These concerns are particularly pressing with elections scheduled for early next month, where incumbent President Nayib Bukele is running for an unconstitutional second term.”
Bukele responded to the letter that Omar shared on social media platform X.
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“I am honored to be attacked by you just days before our election,” he wrote to X, adding, “I would be very concerned if you would support me.”
In another tweet, Bukele took a further dig at the United States.
“I believe the United States should hold free and fair elections,” the Salvadoran president wrote.
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Lawmakers accused Bukele of providing the framework for the March 2022 exception, which resulted in tens of thousands of people being arrested without due process. Among those arrested were Americans.
Lawmakers also accused Bukele of overseeing military harassment of the country’s parliament, which erodes judicial independence.
As elections approach, Bukele’s actions continue to limit multiparty democracy and extend to arrest warrants for political opponents such as Ruben Zamora, El Salvador’s ambassador to the United States.
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El Salvador’s President Nayib Boucle waves during his inauguration ceremony in Plaza Gerardo Barrios outside the National Palace in downtown San Salvador on June 1, 2019. (Photo credit: OSCAR RIVERA/AFP, Getty Images)
Omar and other Democrats also cited numerous human rights violations reported in the State Department’s 2022 Country Reports.
The report includes charges against El Salvador since the introduction of the state of exception, including unlawful or arbitrary killings. Forced disappearance. Torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by security forces. Harsh and life-threatening prison conditions. Significant restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, including threats of censorship and enforcement of criminal laws to restrict expression. Government corruption. Significant barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services. Crimes involving violence against the LGBTQ community.
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FILE – Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) speaks about the threat of default during a press conference by the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin, File)
Blinken was also advised in the letter that future elections in El Salvador violate the country’s constitutional norms, as Bukele seeks re-election. El Salvador’s constitution prohibits presidents from serving consecutive terms, but Bukele is able to run because he was appointed as a judge by members of his own party after the Supreme Court’s top officials were replaced.
“It is not within the power of the U.S. government to determine who is eligible to run for president in a foreign country or to choose a winner,” the lawmakers wrote. “Nonetheless, we are concerned that some of the State Department’s public messages regarding the election give too much credit to President Boucle’s re-election bid and his governance.”
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Democratic lawmakers then told Blinken to “strongly condemn the excesses of the state of exception, including human rights abuses” and to allow expanded direct funding to scrutinized Salvadoran civil society and the country’s non-governmental political parties. He asked them to consider the system. Among other things, it is better than transferring funds through intermediaries or third-party partners.
