The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the government of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to end the state of emergency it has maintained for four years as part of its anti-gang war, which has led to about 91,000 detentions. Bukele has enforced the emergency regime since March 27, 2022, under which thousands of people have been detained without a judicial order, a policy that human rights groups say has resulted in serious human rights violations.
The Salvadoran authorities must end the state of emergency and guarantee prompt judicial review and fair trials, the international organization said. It said that four years have passed since the president declared the state of emergency and that since then, authorities have detained more than 91,000 people, including children.
Several Latin American countries want to replicate Bukele’s security policy despite criticism from human rights groups, which condemn it for relying on a state of emergency that allows people to be detained without a court order while accusing them of being gang members or accomplices.
Last Friday, the NGO Socorro Jurídico Humanitario said that a total of 500 prisoners have died during the four years of the anti-gang campaign. A day earlier, the Legislative Assembly, controlled by Bukele, approved at the president’s request life imprisonment for minors under 18 who are murderers, rapists, or terrorists.
On March 17, it had already approved life imprisonment despite accusations from NGOs that the government was committing crimes against humanity in its fight against crime. Before the reform, the maximum prison sentence was 60 years. Bukele enjoys high levels of popularity because he has reduced homicides to historic lows in his country and dismantled the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs, which have been designated as terrorist organizations by the United States and El Salvador.
