El Salvador: Statement by the Spokesperson on the replacement of magistrates at the Supreme Court

The decisions taken by the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador on 1 May to remove from office the magistrates of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General of the Republic, and the subsequent new appointments, undermine the rule of law and the separation of powers in the country.

The EU expects that the legal rights and physical integrity of the magistrates will be guaranteed at all times in the exercise of their functions. The independence of the judiciary in El Salvador must be safeguarded in order to ensure the full separation of powers and to preserve the country’s solid democratic tradition.