The ongoing tension between the Salvadoran government and its critics reached a boiling point following a controversial post by journalist Juan Martínez d’Aubuisson. Known for his work with MS-13, Martínez d’Aubuisson shared a graphic historical image of the 1945 execution of Benito Mussolini, where the dictator was shot and hung upside down. The journalist accompanied the image with a pointed message: “Those people knew very well how to deal with fascists and tyrants…”
President Nayib Bukele seized on the post to highlight what he describes as the «hypocrisy» of international observers and local media. Bukele argued that while figures like Martínez d’Aubuisson often advocate for due process and judicial independence regarding gang members in El Salvador, they simultaneously celebrate extrajudicial killings when they align with their political leanings. “Do you see how they don’t even believe in what they claim to defend?” Bukele questioned on X.
The confrontation underscores the polarizing reputation of Martínez d’Aubuisson, who has previously sparked outrage by claiming that “gangs fulfill a necessary social role in El Salvador.” By invoking the brutal end of the Italian «Duce,» the journalist positioned himself in a defensive stance against what he views as an authoritarian regime, while the President used the opportunity to frame the opposition as selective defenders of human rights.
In his rebuttal, Bukele challenged the international community to imagine the outcry if his administration applied the same «Mussolini-style» justice to gang members today. “What would these NGOs and journalists say if we emptied a magazine into every gang member and hung them upside down in the public square?” he asked, suggesting that the rhetoric used by his critics reveals a hidden agenda to protect criminals rather than uphold universal justice.