El Salvador making it harder for murderous gangs to spread messages

Soldiers search a car at a checkpoint in the Distrito Italia neighbourhood after El Salvador's Congress approved emergency powers that temporarily suspended some constitutional protections after the Central American country recorded a sharp rise in killings attributed to criminal gangs, in Tonacatepeque, El Salvador, April 4, 2022. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - Waging a campaign against gangs responsible for El Salvador having one of the world's highest murder rates, Congress in the Central American republic passed a bill on Tuesday criminalizing the publication of gang messages, including by news outlets.

Last month, President Nayib Bukele invoked emergency powers to suspend some constitutional rights to crackdown on gangs engaged in drug trafficking and extortion, and ramped up jail sentences for members of criminal organizations.