Salvadoran photojournalist Diego Rosa was arrested in Seville, Spain, after the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) activated a search and capture alert issued by the Government of El Salvador.

At the time of his arrest, on January 2, Rosa was at the Government Sub-delegation in Seville processing an application for asylum because he suffered harassment and political persecution from the authorities in El Salvador.

According to the Association of Journalists of El Salvador (APES), Diego Rosa “has been subjected to police harassment, threats, and an unfounded legal process for illicit groups and computer theft” since 2022.

According to APES, if extradited to El Salvador, Diego Rosa’s life and personal safety are at risk.

Rosa is a photojournalist specializing in human rights. He has collaborated with Salvadoran media outlets such as La Prensa Gráfica and El Faro, La Jornada (Mexico), Zuma Press (USA), and others.

Following his capture, the Central American Network of Journalists (RCP) and the Spanish section of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) issued statements calling for an end to the persecution of journalists and the use of police forces for political purposes.

For his part, President Nayib Bukele reacted on his social media accounts, saying that “Political immunity is discredited and lacks international validity, but simply calling oneself a journalist is enough to obtain total impunity”. 

However, on January 3, Judge María Ardón of the Spanish National Court decided to grant Diego Rosa his freedom, and he will continue to process his asylum application.

According to RCP, it is necessary to review the actions of Interpol member countries due to precedents in Central America, such as in the cases of Guatemala and Nicaragua, regarding the misuse and abuse of police forces international level for the persecution of journalists and human rights defenders.