El Salvador lawmakers repeal media crackdown, declare 'war on gangs won'

Mexican film producer and actor of the movie "Sound of Freedom" Eduardo Verastegui takes part in a press conference after a meeting with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, in San Salvador, El Salvador July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - El Salvador's Congress repealed a law on Wednesday that criminalized the publication of gang messages, as ruling party leaders declared victory in their war against criminal groups.

President Nayib Bukele launched a sweeping crackdown on the small Central American nation's hyper-violent gangs early last year, sharply reducing crime rates while the incarceration skyrocketed, and is now the highest in the world.