00:00And in El Salvador, a report revealed that nearly 40 journalists have left the country
00:04due to pressure, threats, and fear of ending up in jail for criticizing the government
00:09of Nayib Bukele.
00:10Our correspondent Roberto Gopresa with the details.
00:19Independent opinion programs are disappearing.
00:22Julio Villaguerin had to leave a traditional channel to set up his digital project.
00:26He says that independent journalism is going through difficult times and that there is
00:31a lot of fear of expressing opinions.
00:36Independent journalism is complicated and practicing it is complicated also because of the difficulty
00:41we have with the people who shape opinion in the country at this time.
00:44We are experiencing a quite unusual situation in which people are very afraid to express
00:49themselves.
00:49A report by the Association of Salvadoran Journalists reveals that in recent months,
00:59about 40 journalists have left the country due to threats a reality that concerns the
01:03profession.
01:08There are very real threats to the press that dares to continue investigating and dares to
01:13continue exposing the corrupt and criminal face of the Bukele government.
01:16That is why the press is now being persecuted, and many journalists have had to leave the
01:21country to avoid any harm to their physical integrity.
01:28In recent weeks, critics such as lawyers Ruth Lofus of the Christosal Foundation and Enrique
01:36Nea, an opponent of the president re-election, were arrested on charges of illicit enrichment
01:41and money laundering.
01:41However, many believe that the idea is to silence their voices.
01:46The director of humanitarian legal assistance left the country for fear of suffering the
01:50same fate.
01:50And if they capture me, detain me illegally and arbitrarily, as they already do for sport
02:04in the country, I have no doubt that I would die within a few days in the prison system.
02:09So I have found myself obliged to leave and hope that one day I will be able to return to
02:13my country when the rule of law is restored.
02:19The latest survey by the University Institute of Opinion at the Central American University
02:27shows that 58% of Sal veterans feared negative consequences for criticizing the government.
02:31Yes, of course, it's a normal feeling, right?
02:38In every human being, the difference is whether or not you let fear enslave you.
02:42It's not the first time we've been persecuted, is it?
02:45For the fight for human rights.
02:47In recent weeks, street protests have decreased and the power to mobilize people has also declined
03:00in popular demonstrations.
03:02Many believe that this is due to fear of the regime of exception being applied.
03:06Roberto Hugo Presa, Telesur, El Salvador.
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