El Faro Journalists Flee El Salvador After Exposing President Bukele's Gang Ties

El Faro's Reporting and Retaliation

• 📰 El Faro, an acclaimed digital news outlet, has faced threats of arrest for their reporting on President Nayib Bukele's alleged secret deals with Salvadoran gangs.
• 🏃‍♂️ Journalists, including digital editor Nelson Rauda Zablah, have fled El Salvador to avoid potential arrest and retaliation from the government.
• ⚠️ The outlet's investigation into Bukele's yearslong relationship with gangs, particularly the 18th Street Revolucionarios, is the basis for the government's actions.

Bukele's "State of Exception" and Human Rights Concerns

• 🚨 Since 2022, Bukele has governed under a "state of exception," leading to the detention of nearly 80,000 people accused of gang affiliation, often without due process.
• ⚖️ Human rights groups report at least 250 deaths in El Salvador's prisons since the start of Bukele's "war on gangs."
• ⛓️ The government has been accused of using the state of exception to silence critics and journalists.

Evidence of Secret Dealings

• 🤝 El Faro's reporting includes interviews with former gang leaders who detail Bukele's alleged direct involvement and secret dealings with gangs.
• 📞 A released gang member, Charlie Cardoza, recounted being detained and then mysteriously released after a phone call, suggesting intervention from "up top."
• 🗣️ Another former gang member, known as Leo Man, alluded to carrying out murders under the direction of a government official, stating, "Without a body, there is no crime."

International Scrutiny and US Involvement

• 🇺🇸 The US Treasury Department previously sanctioned two Bukele officials for allegedly negotiating a secret truce with gangs to secure political support.
• 🤝 Carlos Marroquin, identified as Bukele's point person for gang negotiations, was personally involved in transporting indicted gang members, as evidenced by an audio confession.
• ✈️ El Salvador, under Bukele, is working with the US to jail immigrants sent from the United States at the CECOT "terrorism confinement center."

Impact and Broader Implications

• 📢 El Faro's revelations have had a significant impact, with their videos garnering over 1.5 million views in a country of six million people.
• 🌍 The reporting aims to expose the reality behind Bukele's security narrative, highlighting his alleged secret dealings with criminal organizations.
• ✊ The journalists' exile underscores the dangers faced by independent media in El Salvador, with many other critics and journalists unable to speak freely.