Jul. 21, 2025 |
Working for the clampdown. Governments worldwide are finding new ways to silence opposition voices under the cover of legitimate law enforcement this week.
El Salvador’s most prominent human rights group says it’s been forced into exile, citing threats and harassment from the government of President Nayib Bukele. Meanwhile, Cambodian authorities have made 1,000 arbitrary arrests after Prime Minister Hun Manet ordered a crackdown on cybercrime operators.
The pattern: These incidents represent a troubling trend where authoritarian leaders package political repression as routine law enforcement. Bukele, who has been praised internationally for reducing crime, is now targeting anti-corruption activists. Cambodia’s mass arrests under the cybercrime banner provide a convenient template for other governments.
What’s particularly concerning is how these crackdowns are being framed as legitimate governance rather than political persecution, making it harder for the international community to respond effectively. The methods are becoming more sophisticated—legal justifications that give domestic populations plausible reasons to support what might otherwise appear as obvious political repression.
A key question is whether these aren’t just isolated power grabs but new developments in dictators’ global playbook.
What’s the evidence?