Human Rights Watch warns of new threats to privacy and press freedom in El Salvador By Reuters

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – Human Rights Watch expressed concern on Thursday about two new laws in El Salvador related to cybersecurity and data protection, which the group said could threaten freedom of speech and the press, as well as privacy .

El Salvador’s Congress, controlled by President Najib Bukele’s party, passed two laws in mid-November aimed at protecting personal data.

“In the current context of opacity and harassment of independent journalists and civil organizations in El Salvador, there is a serious risk that these laws will be used as a weapon to threaten, silence or hinder freedom of expression and information,” said Juanita Goebertus, Director for the Americas at HRV , in a press release.

The introduction of these laws will be overseen by the State Cybersecurity Agency, a new entity led by a presidential appointee who will enforce the new regulations.

But Washington-based HRW said the law creates a “right to be forgotten,” which gives the agency overly broad powers to order the removal of online information about individuals.

The Salvadoran government has previously been accused of a lack of transparency and spying on journalists and individuals critical of Bukele’s administration. The government denies it.

The president’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.