Over 60-Year-Old Salvadoran Judges To Leave Office Before Friday

El Salvador’s Supreme Court (CSJ) announced that 248 judges dismissed by President Nayib Bukele's judicial career reforms must leave office before Friday or lose their compensation, which is equivalent to 24 months of salary.

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On Aug. 31, the pro-government Senate approved the dismissal of judges over 60 years of age or with 30 years of service to “cleanse the judicial institutions.” Lawyers criticized the measure, noting that it violated the rule of law.

Among those dismissed is Judge Jorge Guzman, who asked the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to investigate whether Bukele committed any crime by blocking judicial inspections of Army archives on the 1980 El Mozote massacre.

The CSJ assures that it will not cease judges who currently lead cases related to reparations for victims of crimes against humanity. However, the reform of the Judicial Career Law did not indicate any caveats.

Lawyers who publicly rejected the reform went to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to denounce the Salvadoran State for its continued violation of human rights.

As soon as the pro-government Senate was installed on May 1, it dismissed five members of the Supreme Court's Constitutional Chamber and Attorney General Raul Melara, who opposed Bukele. Thanks to this measure, his administration took control of much of the judiciary.

On Sept. 3, the Constitutional chamber authorized Bukele’s immediate presidential reelection for a second five-year term. Following this approval, thousands of citizens took to the streets to protest against his actions.