Labor rights group asks El Salvador’s supreme court to strike down contentious ‘foreign agents’ law

SAN SALVADOR (AP) — A labor rights group in El Salvador on Thursday asked the country’s Supreme Court to strike down a contentious “foreign agents” law promoted by President Nayib Bukele, which critics have said is intended to silence dissent.

The law, passed in May, imposes a 30% tax on funds or donations received from foreign organizations, often a crucial source of funding for human rights, news and watchdog organizations that have repeatedly challenged the government. The passing of the law comes amid a wider crackdown by the government on dissent, which has forced more than a hundred people to flee the country in political exile in recent months.

In addition to the steep tax, the law requires all organizations operating in the country that receive foreign funding to register with a new government body, which would have broad authority to determine compliance requirements. Critics say that would make it easier for the government to shut down civil society groups and criminalize dissenters and mimics legislation used by governments like Russia, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

On Thursday, leaders of the Movement for the Defense of the Rights of the Working Class (MCDT) filed a complaint with the country’s Supreme Court, claiming the law violates more than a dozen articles of the Salvadoran constitution.

“The law seeks to criminalize individuals and organizations that defend human rights, like Ruth López, Enrique Anaya, and others who have publicly denounced human rights abuses and alleged acts of corruption by officials in the current administration,” said Silvia Navarrete, a representative of the group, referring to two recently jailed lawyers.

Another MCDT leader, Morena Murillo, said the legislation targets organizations that challenge the government by documenting rights violations and criticizing what she described as the erosion of democratic institutions and the separation of powers.

The legislation applies to any person or organization—Salvadoran or foreign—conducting activities in El Salvador that are influenced, financed, or directed, directly or indirectly, by foreign interests. Roughly 8,000 organizations operate in El Salvador, though not all are registered with the Ministry of Governance.

Recently, Cristosal — one of Bukele’s most prominent critics — announced it was leaving the country, citing mounting legal threats and harassment by the Salvadoran government. The decision came after its lead anti-corruption attorney, Ruth López, was jailed in June on corruption charges, which she denies.