SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, June 25, (AP): A judge in El Salvador ordered Tuesday that a lawyer and well-known critic of President Nayib Bukele remain in jail as his prosecution on charges of money laundering proceeds in a blow to critics pushing back against the government. Enrique Anaya was detained by police earlier this month on money laundering allegations just days after calling Bukele a "dictator” on live TV.

His arrest has been the subject of an outcry by human rights defenders. "Unfortunately, the result was not what we had hoped for,” Anaya's attorney Jaime Quintanilla said, adding that the case would now proceed into an investigative phase. He said they expected to hear more in the coming weeks. Upon Anaya's arrest, authorities did not provide details about the allegations against him despite posting a photo of the constitutional lawyer in handcuffs surrounded by armed police.

Advocates, legal experts and international watchdogs have warned that Bukele has grown emboldened by his alliance with U.S. President Donald Trump. He has moved to silence critics through recent arrests and a new foreign agents law that sent chills through nongovernmental organizations that receive overseas funding. Anaya's June 10 arrest was just the latest example.

Another judge issued a similar decision against prominent human rights attorney Ruth Leonora López earlier this month. That judge ordered López, another outspoken Bukele critic, held for six months on charges of illegal enrichment. Anaya's legal team insists that he is innocent and that the detention was purely political. Quintanilla, his lawyer, said it also violated his rights because he was not brought before a judge within 72 hours of his arrest as required by the country's constitution.

Rather, he was held for 14 days and instead appeared to be detained under emergency provisions that Bukele has used to crack down on the country's gangs and detain alleged gang members with little access to due process. Tuesday was the first time Anaya has appeared before a judge. Quintanilla said this was illegal because Anaya was accused of a crime unconnected to gang violence.

He had appealed to the country's Supreme Court, using a habeas corpus petition, which was partially granted Saturday, leading to Tuesday's hearing. He had hoped that Anaya would be set free, but the detained lawyer was walked out of court in handcuffs surrounded by police. He nodded to reporters with his cuffed hands held to his chest.