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January 23, 2023

Rights Groups Decry "Politically Motivated" Charges Against El Salvador Water Defenders 
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Rights advocates from around the world are demanding El Salvador's
government release five water defenders who were detained earlier this
month on charges denounced as politically motivated. The five water
defenders were instrumental in pressuring the Salvadoran legislature to
issue a 2017 ban on metal mining to protect the country's rivers and
water sources. They're accused of murdering an alleged military
informant over three decades ago while El Salvador was in the midst of a
brutal war. This comes as the government of Salvadoran President Nayib
Bukele is reportedly considering reversing the metal mining ban.


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