Latin American organizations accompany journalists in El Salvador in the context of presidential elections

Members Article 19 Mexico and Central America, Protection International Mesoamerica, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) traveled to El Salvador to accompany journalists before and during the presidential elections to be held next Sunday, February 4. Together with the Association of Journalists of El Salvador, APES, we are calling to guarantee freedom of expression and the fundamental rights of journalists.

During the next few days, meetings will be held with civil society organizations and journalists to discuss the exercise of journalism in the context of the elections and the challenges for the press in the next presidential term.

In this accompaniment, which transcends physical borders, press freedom defenders networks as the Committee to Protect Journalists, Free Press Unlimited, Fundamedios, and Voces del Sur, join the effort.

In addition, APES has warned about the violations against journalists before election day. From January 5 to January 31, 2024, the Association registered eleven aggressions by public officials, soldiers of the Armed Forces, and social media users. At the same time, APES calls attention to the potential increase of attacks on election day. As a precedent, during the last legislative election, on February 28, 2021 they recorded 53 aggressions against journalists gathering news that day.

The free and safe practice of journalism is fundamental for democratic societies and for fulfilling the rights of access to information and freedom of the press and expression. This is even more important when dealing with matters of public interest, such as elections, since critical and investigative journalism makes it possible to know what is happening and allows citizens to make informed decisions.

If you want to know how the journalistic coverage of election day in El Salvador evolves, we invite you to consult the website and social networks of APES, which will monitor the elections before and on election day.