El Salvador NGOs Strike Back on Pres. Nayib Bukele's Decision to Criminalize Gang-Related Messages in Media

Non-government organizations (NGOs) in El Salvador on Tuesday asked the judiciary to declare unconstitutional a new law that could allegedly criminalize media reporting on gangs.

According to France 24, human rights organization Cristosal and the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES) filed the lawsuit with the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court.

Ruth Elenora Lopez, a representative for Cristosal, said the law reform pushed by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele would mean that journalists can be prosecuted for reporting, Al Jazeera reported.

"The reforms are imposing an absolute limitation of rights, particularly on journalism," Lopez noted.

APES president Cesar Castro said the reform imposed a gag on the right of journalists or media to inform the public.

"It is an attack on freedom of information," Castro noted. France 24 reported that both organizations do not have much confidence that the lawsuit will go forward since the Constitutional Chamber is allied with Nayib Bukele's administration.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele Criminalizes the Sharing of Gang Messages

El Salvador's Congress approved a request from President Nayib Bukele to criminalize media organizations or entities that will share gang-related messages on April 6.

The measure, which disallowed reproducing and transmitting information from gangs "that could generate anxiety and panic among the general population," included a jail time from 10 to 15 years for offenders.

Several media organizations have slammed Bukele for the measure. Inter American Press Association president Jorge Canahuati called the move a legal gag, saying that no country will be able to stop the violence by censoring public opinion.

El Salvador's Journalist Association also commented on Bukele's measure, noting that the move will create an illusion that is not faithful to the truth.

On Wednesday, Bukele took to Twitter to sarcastically hit his critics about him criminalizing journalism.

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele on Gang Crackdown

El Salvador declared a state of emergency in late March following a weekend of violence that included at least 87 killings. In declaring the state of emergency, Nayib Bukele said the country had a new spike in homicides, an issue they "had worked so hard to reduce."

Bukele blamed it on the Mara Salvatrucha gang, also known as MS-13. Early this month, the president noted that 6,000 suspected gang members had been arrested since the order came into force.

Bukele insisted that the detainees were all gang members and would not be released, according to The Guardian News report.

Using emergency powers, the police and the military rounded up thousands of suspected gang members that allowed them to do so without warrants.

Police forces claim to have captured the MS-13 leaders who ordered the killings. However, there is growing evidence that ordinary people who live or work in gang-operated areas have also been arbitrarily arrested.

Children will also be allowed to be tried for most serious offenses. On Wednesday, Nayib Bukele also announced the latest number of gang members arrested in the country on Twitter.

According to Bukele, more than 14,000 gang members were "off the streets" 25 days after implementing the state of emergency.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: El Salvador's Crackdown On Gang Members Sparks Concerns Of Human Rights Violations - From NBC News