Bukele’s crackdown this year, prompted by a bloody killing spree by gangs that saw dozens of people killed in March, placed El Salvador in a prolonged state of emergency and relaxed important constitutional rights, like due process and freedom of association.And Bukele himself is now enjoying renown many leaders can only dream of – with an 86% approval rating in an October survey of 12 Latin American countries by CID Gallup, making him the most popular leader in the region, despite the alleged rights violations.And as Jonathan D. Rosen, an assistant professor at New Jersey City University, who has co-authored several books on organized crime, drug trafficking and security in the Americas, points out, history has shown that mano dura policies have a way of biting back.But rights groups fear the effort to root them out has taken a toll of its own, resulting in the arrest of 58,000 people between March and November 2022, overstuffed jails, and the militarization of Salvadorean society as forces patrol the streets.In 2022, El Salvador’s government denied responsibility for hacking the cell phones of at least 35 journalists and other members of civil society by using the spying program known as Pegasus."