The human-rights organisation Cristosal has shut its office in El Salvador and moved its operations abroad, saying an increasingly hostile legal and political climate under President Nayib Bukele has made it impossible to work safely inside the country. Executive Director Noah Bullock told Reuters the group pulled 20 employees out in recent weeks and will now operate from neighbouring Guatemala and Honduras. Cristosal, founded by Anglican bishops 25 years ago, became prominent for documenting alleged corruption and abuses committed during Bukele’s three-year state of emergency. The organisation said only one employee remains in El Salvador—anti-corruption director Ruth López—who has been jailed since May on sealed corruption charges the group calls politically motivated. Pressure on civil society has intensified since lawmakers in May approved a “foreign agents” law that forces organisations receiving international funds to register with the government and pay a 30 % tax, with non-compliance carrying potential criminal penalties. At least four other rights groups and dozens of journalists and lawyers have also left the country, citing surveillance, harassment and fear of arrest. Since declaring the state of emergency in March 2022, Bukele has suspended constitutional guarantees and overseen the arrest of more than 85 000 people in a sweeping anti-gang campaign. While the government says homicides have plummeted and opinion polls show Bukele retains roughly 85 % support, critics warn that the crackdown and new restrictions on NGOs have eliminated the few remaining checks on executive power.