
Salvadoran lawyer arrested on money laundering charges
Enrique Anaya was arrested at his home in the city of Santa Tecla. (Attorney-general's office of El Salvador/AFP pic)
SAN SALVADOR : A Salvadoran lawyer and fierce critic of president Nayib Bukele was arrested today on charges of money laundering, the prosecutor's office said, a move branded by human rights organisations as an offensive to silence those who question the government.
Bukele's hardline approach to El Salvador's powerful gangs has made him one of the world's most domestically popular leaders, even as human rights defenders raise alarm over arbitrary arrests and eroding civil liberties.
Enrique Anaya, a constitutional lawyer, who has called Nayib a 'dictator' and criticised his re-election, was arrested at his home in the city of Santa Tecla.
Images of Anaya handcuffed alongside police officers were shared on social media by the attorney-general's office, which stated that he will be referred to the courts in the coming days for 'money and asset laundering'.
It comes after the detention this year of fellow lawyer Ruth Lopez, head of an anti-corruption unit of human rights NGO Cristosal, who was accused of embezzling state funds when she worked for an electoral court a decade ago.
El Salvador's constitution does not allow successive presidential terms, but a Bukele-stacked Supreme Court allowed him to run, and he was re-elected in February 2024.
'Of course I'm afraid'
Bukele, who won 85% of the votes thanks to his war against gangs, accuses his critics of leftist political activism and last week warned that 'corrupt opposition members' are not untouchable.
'I don't care if they call me a dictator. I'd rather be called a dictator than see Salvadorans killed in the streets,' he said in a speech today.
Anaya responded on a television programme Tuesday that Bukele had removed 'the mask', adding 'he is what he is'.
'Here, whoever speaks, whoever criticizes, whoever does not kneel before the idol, gets imprisoned. Of course, I am afraid,' Anaya said.
He said in his last X post on Friday that 'the Bukelean dictatorship is increasingly questioned and confronted internationally,' referencing criticism from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) regarding the arrest of Lopez's and other activists.
Lopez has criticised Bukele's anti-crime policy, which has seen thousands of alleged gangsters arrested and jailed in harsh conditions.
Her NGO Cristosal helps families of Salvadorans caught up in Bukele's crackdown on gangs, as well as more than 250 Venezuelans deported by the Trump administration, which paid El Salvador to imprison them.
'It's part of what we're living through. Unfortunately, Enrique's situation is similar to Ruth's case,' said Anaya's defence attorney, Jaime Quintanilla.
'Troubling escalation'
In a statement, Cristosal described Anaya as a 'key figure in defending democratic institutions and constitutional order'.
'His arrest is part of a troubling escalation of criminalisation against those who defend the rule of law in El Salvador,' he added.
An environmental lawyer and an evangelical pastor supporting a farmers' protest were arrested in May, and in February Fidel Zavala, a human rights activist, was accused of ties to gangs.
Last month, Bukele's allies in the Legislative Assembly imposed a Foreign Agents Law levying a 30% tax on organisations receiving overseas funding and requiring them to join a special registry.
The European Union said yesterday that the law 'could restrict society' and lamented the arrests, which Bukele responded to on X, calling it an 'aged bloc' of bureaucrats who insist 'on preaching to the rest of the world'.
Bukele accuses NGOs of defending criminals and has accused the media of joining an 'organised attack' spearheaded by international groups.
Anaya has stated on several occasions in interviews that Bukele's legacy will be one of 'human rights violations' and 'destruction of democracy'.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Salvadoran lawyer arrested on money laundering charges
Enrique Anaya was arrested at his home in the city of Santa Tecla. (Attorney-general's office of El Salvador/AFP pic) SAN SALVADOR : A Salvadoran lawyer and fierce critic of president Nayib Bukele was arrested today on charges of money laundering, the prosecutor's office said, a move branded by human rights organisations as an offensive to silence those who question the government. Bukele's hardline approach to El Salvador's powerful gangs has made him one of the world's most domestically popular leaders, even as human rights defenders raise alarm over arbitrary arrests and eroding civil liberties. Enrique Anaya, a constitutional lawyer, who has called Nayib a 'dictator' and criticised his re-election, was arrested at his home in the city of Santa Tecla. Images of Anaya handcuffed alongside police officers were shared on social media by the attorney-general's office, which stated that he will be referred to the courts in the coming days for 'money and asset laundering'. It comes after the detention this year of fellow lawyer Ruth Lopez, head of an anti-corruption unit of human rights NGO Cristosal, who was accused of embezzling state funds when she worked for an electoral court a decade ago. El Salvador's constitution does not allow successive presidential terms, but a Bukele-stacked Supreme Court allowed him to run, and he was re-elected in February 2024. 'Of course I'm afraid' Bukele, who won 85% of the votes thanks to his war against gangs, accuses his critics of leftist political activism and last week warned that 'corrupt opposition members' are not untouchable. 'I don't care if they call me a dictator. I'd rather be called a dictator than see Salvadorans killed in the streets,' he said in a speech today. Anaya responded on a television programme Tuesday that Bukele had removed 'the mask', adding 'he is what he is'. 'Here, whoever speaks, whoever criticizes, whoever does not kneel before the idol, gets imprisoned. Of course, I am afraid,' Anaya said. He said in his last X post on Friday that 'the Bukelean dictatorship is increasingly questioned and confronted internationally,' referencing criticism from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) regarding the arrest of Lopez's and other activists. Lopez has criticised Bukele's anti-crime policy, which has seen thousands of alleged gangsters arrested and jailed in harsh conditions. Her NGO Cristosal helps families of Salvadorans caught up in Bukele's crackdown on gangs, as well as more than 250 Venezuelans deported by the Trump administration, which paid El Salvador to imprison them. 'It's part of what we're living through. Unfortunately, Enrique's situation is similar to Ruth's case,' said Anaya's defence attorney, Jaime Quintanilla. 'Troubling escalation' In a statement, Cristosal described Anaya as a 'key figure in defending democratic institutions and constitutional order'. 'His arrest is part of a troubling escalation of criminalisation against those who defend the rule of law in El Salvador,' he added. An environmental lawyer and an evangelical pastor supporting a farmers' protest were arrested in May, and in February Fidel Zavala, a human rights activist, was accused of ties to gangs. Last month, Bukele's allies in the Legislative Assembly imposed a Foreign Agents Law levying a 30% tax on organisations receiving overseas funding and requiring them to join a special registry. The European Union said yesterday that the law 'could restrict society' and lamented the arrests, which Bukele responded to on X, calling it an 'aged bloc' of bureaucrats who insist 'on preaching to the rest of the world'. Bukele accuses NGOs of defending criminals and has accused the media of joining an 'organised attack' spearheaded by international groups. Anaya has stated on several occasions in interviews that Bukele's legacy will be one of 'human rights violations' and 'destruction of democracy'.


Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Explain Fahmi Reza's travel ban, activist urges govt, cops
Wong Kueng Hui, director of the rights group Mandiri, called for the blacklist to be lifted immediately. PETALING JAYA : The government and the police were urged today to explain the travel ban imposed on satirical graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza, who was prevented from taking a flight to Singapore this morning. Citizenship rights activist Wong Kueng Hui said Fahmi was barred from leaving the country on the orders of Bukit Aman (federal police headquarters) without any clear justification given. Fahmi was not a criminal but merely an artist who has been outspoken in criticising the government through his satirical artworks, said Wong, a Muda member who is coordinator of the Mandiri human rights organisation. He said in a statement: 'Mandiri stands in complete solidarity with Fahmi and calls for the blacklist to be lifted immediately and for the government to guarantee the people's right to freedom of movement, which is provided for under the law.' Wong, a Sabahan, was formerly declared stateless but finally received his MyKad in 2023 after 16 years of applying for Malaysian citizenship. He is active in championing the rights of stateless people. Earlier today, Fahmi said he was stopped by immigration officers before boarding a flight to Singapore, and informed that he was blacklisted. He said an immigration officer told him that the police had barred him from leaving the country. DAP Youth chief Woo Kah Leong also criticised the travel ban, saying it was uncalled for and would tarnish the reputation of the Madani government. Fahmi was denied entry into Sabah on May 29. He was arrested by Sabah police earlier this year in an investigation into one of his satirical works, depicting Sabah governor Musa Aman, which was later deemed to be seditious.


Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Wrongly deported Salvadoran migrant arrested on return to US
The US Supreme Court had ordered the Trump administration to 'facilitate' the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia . (AP pic) WASHINGTON : The Salvadoran migrant at the heart of a row over president Donald Trump's hardline deportation policies was returned to the US on Friday and arrested on human smuggling charges. Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was brought back to the US from El Salvador and charged with trafficking undocumented migrants, attorney general Pam Bondi said. 'Abrego Garcia has landed in the US to face justice,' Bondi said at a press conference. The US Supreme Court had ordered the Trump administration to 'facilitate' the return of Abrego Garcia after he was mistakenly deported in March to a notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador. But Bondi insisted to reporters that his return to the US resulted from an arrest warrant presented to Salvadoran authorities. 'We're grateful to (Salvadoran) President (Nayib) Bukele for agreeing to return him to our country to face these very serious charges,' she said. In a post on X, Bukele said 'we work with the Trump administration, and if they request the return of a gang member to face charges, of course we wouldn't refuse.' Trump, in remarks to reporters Friday, described Abrego Garcia as a 'pretty bad guy' and said he 'should've never had to be returned'. White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said Abrego Garcia's return 'has nothing to do with his original deportation'. 'There was no mistake,' Jackson said on X. 'He's returning because a new investigation has revealed crimes SO HEINOUS, committed in the US, that only the American justice system could hold him fully accountable.' Abrego Garcia, 29, was living in the eastern state of Maryland until he became one of more than 200 people sent to a prison in El Salvador as part of Trump's crackdown on undocumented migrants. Most of the migrants who were summarily deported were alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the Trump administration has declared a foreign terrorist organisation. Justice department lawyers later admitted that Abrego Garcia – who is married to a US citizen – was wrongly deported due to an 'administrative error'. Abrego Garcia had been living in the US under protected legal status since 2019, when a judge ruled he should not be deported because he could be harmed in his home country. Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Abrego Garcia's attorneys, said the government had returned him to the US 'not to correct their error but to prosecute him'. 'Due process means the chance to defend yourself before you're punished, not after,' Sandoval-Moshenberg said. 'This is an abuse of power, not justice.' Bondi alleged that Abrego Garcia had 'played a significant role in an alien smuggling ring' and was a smuggler of 'children and women' as well as members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13. She said Abrego Garcia, who was indicted by a grand jury in Tennessee, would be returned to El Salvador upon completion of any prison sentence. Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen visited Abrego Garcia in April in El Salvador and welcomed his return to the US. 'For months the Trump Administration flouted the Supreme Court and our Constitution,' the senator from Maryland said in a statement. 'Today, they appear to have finally relented to our demands for compliance with court orders and with the due process rights afforded to everyone in the US,' he said. 'The Administration will now have to make its case in the court of law, as it should have all along.' According to the indictment, Abrego Garcia was involved in smuggling undocumented migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and other countries into the US between 2016 and earlier this year.