The Assembly extends state of exception and reforms public procurement law

asamblea-nacional-el-salvador

El Salvador Impact | Negative Rating Civicus | Obstructed On April 24, in a special session called by President Nayib Bukele, 67 of the 84 deputies of the Legislative Assembly, from the ruling and opposition blocs, voted in favor of extending the country’s state of exception in support of the government’s continued crackdown on gang […]

State of emergency decreed, civil rights suspended

El Salvador Impact | Negative CIVICUS Rating | Obstructed On March 27, the Legislative Assembly, with a ruling party majority, declared the beginning of the regime of exception throughout the national territory for a period of 30 days. The measure was approved, with 67 votes in favor, during an extraordinary session after the President, Nayib […]

New ‘NGO law’ – a step closer to institutionalizing harassment of civil society

Nicaragua Impact | Negative Civicus Rating | Closed On March 31, the National Assembly, controlled by the Sandinista party, approved as a matter of urgency a new General Law for the Regulation and Control of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) by 77 votes in favor, 12 abstentions and none against. This tightens the registration requirements for NGOs, […]

Judiciary blocks decree seeking to classify information on public investments

Mexico Impact | Negative Civicus Rating | Repressed On February 25, Mexico’s top court ordered the ‘definitive suspension’ of a decree under which the President, Andres Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), had declared that federal government-backed investments in strategic areas of public interest were to be matters national security, a move that would have allowed it […]

The National Assembly creates the legal figure of the “Digital Undercover Agent”

El Salvador Impact | Negative Probability | High Civicus Rating | Obstructed On February 1, the Legislative Assembly controlled by the ruling party sanctioned five reforms to the Criminal Procedural Code, by means of which the figure of the “Digital Undercover Agent” is created. With this, the National Police is empowered to carry out undercover […]

Differences within the ruling bloc delay the reform of the Law of Access to Public Information

El Salvador Impact | Negative Civicus rating| Obstructed On February 2, the plenary of the Legislative Assembly returned to committee the controversial bill that allowed public and informal information to be classified as reserved. According to local media reports, the possible political costs of the reform could have generated tensions within the ruling bloc, which […]