Dear John,

This week, I testified before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the United States House of Representatives during the hearing “The State of Exception in El Salvador: Taking Stock”. My testimony  addressed the state of the judicial system in El Salvador, the lack of justice for victims of human rights violations, and the erosion of democracy under the Bukele government. Held on Human Rights Day, December 10, the hearing provided U.S. policymakers with a crucial window into El Salvador’s human rights crisis under the State of Exception.

In my testimony, I urged the U.S. government to declassify Salvadoran civil war documents and prioritize strengthening democratic institutions and transparency in its relationship with Bukele’s administration. Ensuring that U.S. policy in Latin America is grounded in human rights remains a cornerstone of WOLA’s mission.

In a CNN interview, I emphasized the hearing’s importance in assessing not only the State of Exception but also the broader state of democracy in El Salvador. As Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party consolidates power and undermines judicial and legislative independence, the international community must stand with the Salvadoran people in their fight for justice, accountability, and democracy.

In observance of Human Rights Day last Wednesday, WOLA reaffirms its commitment to justice and democracy across the Americas. Read my full remarks from the hearing and our latest commentary on El Salvador’s State of Exception.

This and more in WOLA Weekly,

Ana María Méndez Dardón

Director for Central America

For human rights activists across Latin America right now, the stakes are high. Violence around elections is on the rise, as are threats against those who speak in favor of justice and accountability.

Your support of WOLA creates space to amplify the voices of those who put their life on the line to champion human rights; from Caracas, to San Salvador, and everywhere in between.

"The starting point of these posts online [like Donald Trump's post on his social media site, Truth Social, claiming that migrants are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing crime and drugs at high levels] is fictional ... This is an example that reminds us that the starting point to any kind of effective action, to any policy solution, needs to be facts, needs to be reality and needs to be centered on the people affected.”

Stephanie Brewer

Director for Mexico

– Arizona Daily Star, Low migrant arrest figures contradict Trump's border rhetoric

“One of the good things about the Biden administration has been a more consistent approach to promoting democracy in the [Latin American] region. There are some exceptions, but in places like Guatemala they’ve stood firm on Arevalo’s election."

Adam Isacson

Director for Defense Oversight

– Al Jazeera, What could Trump’s return to the White House mean for Latin America?

“Since the recognition of human rights was born in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it was clearly established that they are universal, inalienable, permanent and undeniable rights ... We cannot have a position where only when it is convenient or when the one I get along with gets to enjoy these human rights, but they are of universal character.” This interview is in Spanish.

Ana María Méndez Dardón

Director for Central America

– CNN en Español, Estado de excepción de Bukele en El Salvador pasó de ser temporal a política de Estado

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