Five human rights groups say there have been complaints of at least 338 violations of human rights during El Salvador’s massive arrests of suspected gang members.
FILE - Men are detained by the police, suspects of a homicide near a market in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday, March 27, 2022. Five organizations have documented more than 300 human rights complaints since El Salvador´s President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in March to fight criminal gangs in the country.
The majority of the cases involved young men between the ages of 18 and 30, according to the Cristosal Foundation. Rights groups have criticized the measures, saying arrests are often arbitrary, based on a person’s appearance or where they live. Police have also reported being forced to meet arrest quotas.In late April, El Salvador’s congress voted to grant a request by President Nayib Bukele to extend the anti-gang emergency decree for another 30 days.
The decree has almost certainly added to dangerous overcrowding in Salvadoran prisons, which were already at 136% of capacity in December. The government has pledged to build more prisons, but that will take time. El Salvador’s congress has authorized prison sentences of 10 to 15 years for news media that reproduce or disseminate messages from the gangs, alarming press freedom groups.
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