El Salvador judge orders prominent critic of President Bukele to remain in jail before trial

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — A judge in El Salvador ordered Tuesday that a lawyer and well-known critic of President Nayib Bukele remain in jail as his prosecution on charges of money laundering proceeds in a blow to critics pushing back against the government.

Enrique Anaya was detained by police earlier this month on money laundering allegations just days after calling Bukele a “dictator” on live TV. His arrest has been the subject of an outcry by human rights defenders.

“Unfortunately, the result was not what we had hoped for,” Anaya’s attorney Jaime Quintanilla said, adding that the case would now proceed into an investigative phase. He said they expected to hear more in the coming weeks.

Upon Anaya’s arrest, authorities did not provide details about the allegations against him despite posting a photo of the constitutional lawyer in handcuffs surrounded by armed police.

Advocates, legal experts and international watchdogs have warned that Bukele has grown emboldened by his alliance with U.S. President Donald Trump. He has moved to silence critics through recent arrests and a new foreign agents law that sent chills through nongovernmental organizations that receive overseas funding. Anaya’s June 10 arrest was just the latest example.

Another judge issued a similar decision against prominent human rights attorney Ruth Leonora López earlier this month. That judge ordered López, another outspoken Bukele critic, held for six months on charges of illegal enrichment.

Anaya’s legal team insists that he is innocent and that the detention was purely political. Quintanilla, his lawyer, said it also violated his rights because he was not brought before a judge within 72 hours of his arrest as required by the country’s constitution.

Rather, he was held for 14 days and instead appeared to be detained under emergency provisions that Bukele has used to crack down on the country’s gangs and detain alleged gang members with little access to due process. Tuesday was the first time Anaya has appeared before a judge.

Quintanilla said this was illegal because Anaya was accused of a crime unconnected to gang violence. He had appealed to the country’s Supreme Court, using a habeas corpus petition, which was partially granted Saturday, leading to Tuesday’s hearing.

He had hoped that Anaya would be set free, but the detained lawyer was walked out of court in handcuffs surrounded by police. He nodded to reporters with his cuffed hands held to his chest.

Speaking to reporters during a break in the hearing, Quintanilla said he could not share further details about what occurred in the courtroom because the case is sealed, but said that prosecutors presented charges, the defense responded, and the judge ultimately allowed Anaya to speak.

“He (Anaya) obviously described what he has suffered during his detention, what has happened to him and matters specific to the case that cannot be disclosed,” Quintanilla said.

The defense attorney said Anaya’s medical condition is critical and blamed it on “overcrowding and confinement.” He mentioned that Anaya suffers from a chronic illness but did not provide further details.

Bukele has long faced criticism of what watchdogs say are clear human rights violations. But with recent moves by the Bukele administration, they see a worrisome escalation by the popular president, who enjoys extremely high approval ratings due to his gangs crackdown.

By suspending fundamental rights, Bukele has severely weakened gangs but also locked up 87,000 people for alleged gang ties, often with little evidence or due process. A number of those detained were also critics.

Bukele and his New Ideas party have taken control of all three branches of government, stacking the country’s Supreme Court with loyalists. Last year, he ran for reelection despite a constitutional ban, securing a resounding victory.