El Salvador declares state of emergency amid killings
2 years, 9 months ago

El Salvador declares state of emergency amid killings

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s congress granted President Nayib Bukele’s request to declare a state of emergency early Sunday amid a wave of gang-related killings over the weekend. “They are not to go out even to the patio” of prisons, Bukele wrote, adding ”a message to the gangs: because of your actions, now your homeboys will not see even one ray of sunlight.” While Bukele has tried to project a tough attitude on crime, the country’s enormously powerful street gangs have proved a double-edged sword for him. In 2020, Bukele’s administration ‘’provided financial incentives to Salvadoran gangs MS-13 and 18th Street Gang to ensure that incidents of gang violence and the number of confirmed homicides remained low,” the Treasury statement said. “Over the course of these negotiations with Luna and Marroquin, gang leadership also agreed to provide political support to the Nuevas Ideas political party in upcoming elections.” Bukele’s New Ideas party has a majority in El Salvador’s congress.

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History of this topic

El Salvador closes 2024 with a record low number of homicides
1 week, 1 day ago

El Salvador closes 2024 with a record low number of homicides

LA Times  

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, seen on a November visit to Costa Rica, has governed under a state of emergency for two full years. El Salvador closed 2024 with a record low 114 homicides, continuing notable security gains under a second full year of a state of emergency that has given the government extraordinary powers and curtailed some fundamental rights. President …

Bukele claims he cleaned up El Salvador. But at what cost?
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Bukele claims he cleaned up El Salvador. But at what cost?

LA Times  

The last time I was in El Salvador, nearly a decade ago, the capital was gripped by the violence of gangs who terrified people — dictating where they could shop, work, go to school or even cross a street. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele gives a speech during the inauguration of an industrial data center in Ciudad Arce, El Salvador. …

Human rights body urges El Salvador to end state of emergency
4 months ago

Human rights body urges El Salvador to end state of emergency

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged El Salvador Wednesday to end the more than two-year state of emergency, which has suspended fundamental civil rights while the government pursued the country’s powerful street gangs. The regional human rights body noted that plunging rates of violence in El Salvador made clear that the state of emergency …

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele says security sustainable without a state of emergency
4 months, 1 week ago

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele says security sustainable without a state of emergency

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Nearly 2½ years into a state of emergency that has suspended key civil liberties in El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele says the security advances achieved are sustainable without what was supposed to be a temporary measure. Each month, El Salvador’s congress, which is comfortably controlled by Bukele’s New Ideas party and its allies, approves another …

At least 261 people have died in El Salvador's prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says
5 months, 4 weeks ago

At least 261 people have died in El Salvador's prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says

Hindustan Times  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The human rights organization Cristosal said Wednesday that at least 261 people have died in prisons in El Salvador during President Nayib Bukele's 2 1/2-year-old crackdown on street gangs. At least 261 people have died in El Salvador's prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says Under a state of emergency originally declared in 2022 and …

At least 261 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says
5 months, 4 weeks ago

At least 261 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons under anti-gang crackdown, rights group says

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The human rights organization Cristosal said Wednesday that at least 261 people have died in prisons in El Salvador during President Nayib Bukele’s 2 1/2-year-old crackdown on street gangs. “People have died in El Salvador’s prisons and jails because of torture, a lack of food, unhealthy conditions, an inhuman lack of attention and cruel, inhuman …

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says
9 months ago

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says

New Indian Express  

SAN SALVADOR: At least 241 people have died in El Salvador prisons since the start of President Nayib Bukele’s “war on gangs” two years ago, according to the organization Humanitarian Legal Relief. In March 2022, Bukele announced a “state of exception,” waiving many constitutional rights to combat the gangs that have terrorized the Central American nation. Since then, El Salvador …

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says
9 months ago

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR — At least 241 people have died in El Salvador prisons since the start of President Nayib Bukele’s “war on gangs” two years ago, according to the organization Humanitarian Legal Relief. According to the NGO report, “of these deaths, 44% died of violent death, serious torture, 29% due to lack of medical attention.” While the government is accused …

El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It's now been in effect for two years
10 months ago

El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It's now been in effect for two years

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It’s now been in effect for two years
10 months ago

El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It’s now been in effect for two years

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s lawmakers have granted a request by President Nayib Bukele for the 24th consecutive one-month extension of an anti-gang emergency decree. Bukele has used emergency powers to round up 78,175 suspected gang members in sweeps that rights groups say are often arbitrary, based on a person’s appearance or where they live. El Salvador’s homicide …

El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele takes aim at critics in looking ahead to 2nd presidential term
11 months ago

El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele takes aim at critics in looking ahead to 2nd presidential term

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele is savoring what appears to be a landslide reelection victory, and is railing against his international critics and the press. “It will be the first time in a country that just one party exists in a completely democratic system,” Bukele said, adding that “the entire opposition together was pulverized.” Bukele …

El Salvador’s vice president admits mistakes in war on gangs but denies country is ‘police state’
11 months, 1 week ago

El Salvador’s vice president admits mistakes in war on gangs but denies country is ‘police state’

LA Times  

El Salvador’s government has “made mistakes” in its war against the country’s gangs but has never undermined the country’s democracy in a bid to consolidate power, according to the man likely to be reelected vice president. Félix Ulloa, temporarily on leave as El Salvador’s vice president while he runs for reelection alongside Nayib Bukele, defended his government’s controversial crackdown in …

El Salvador VP acknowledges mistakes in war on gangs but says country is ‘not a police state’
11 months, 1 week ago

El Salvador VP acknowledges mistakes in war on gangs but says country is ‘not a police state’

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR — El Salvador’s government “made mistakes” in its war against the country’s gangs, but has never undermined the country’s democracy to consolidate power, according to the man likely to be reelected vice president. Ulloa acknowledged that in their administration’s mass detention of citizens the government imprisoned thousands of people who had not committed any crime, something he said …

El Salvador is seeing worst rights abuses since 1980-1992 civil war, Amnesty reports
1 year, 1 month ago

El Salvador is seeing worst rights abuses since 1980-1992 civil war, Amnesty reports

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador is experiencing one of the worst human rights crises since the country’s 1980-1992 civil war, because of President Nayib Bukele ’s harsh anti-gang crackdown, Amnesty International said in a report released Tuesday. The rights group claimed that the almost 74,000 people jailed in the crackdown were subjected to “systematic use of torture and …

El Salvador is gradually filling its new mega prison with alleged gang members
1 year, 2 months ago

El Salvador is gradually filling its new mega prison with alleged gang members

Associated Press  

TECOLUCA, El Salvador — With tattoo-covered faces, and wearing white shirts and shorts, gang members captured during El Salvador’s state of exception are gradually filling the country’s new mega prison. President Nayib Bukele ordered its construction when El Salvador began making massive arrests early last year in response to a surge in gang violence. Melvin Alexander Alvarado, a 34-year-old “soldier” …

El Salvador sends 4,000 security forces into 3 communities to pursue gang members
1 year, 2 months ago

El Salvador sends 4,000 security forces into 3 communities to pursue gang members

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador sent more than 4,000 security forces into three communities on the outskirts of the capital to root out gang members Wednesday, as President Nayib Bukele prepared to request another extension of emergency powers to combat crime. “We won’t allow small remnants to regroup and take away the peace that has cost so much.” …

El Salvador’s leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing
1 year, 3 months ago

El Salvador’s leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele trumpeted the success of his gang crackdown during his speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, crediting his administration’s will against international criticism over human rights violations. Bukele said that if El Salvador had listened to external critics — including some at the United Nations — the tiny Central American country …

El Salvador's leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing
1 year, 3 months ago

El Salvador's leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy El Salvador President Nayib Bukele …

El Salvador sends 8,000 troops, police to rural province in gang crackdown
1 year, 5 months ago

El Salvador sends 8,000 troops, police to rural province in gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

President Nayib Bukele said 7,000 soldiers and 1,000 police officers have been deployed to Cabanas to hunt down gang members. Thousands of Salvadoran soldiers and police officers on Tuesday surrounded the central agricultural region of Cabanas – home to some 150,000 people – as part of President Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on gang activity. Bukele imposed a state of emergency in …

El Salvador’s Congress votes to allow mass trials in gang crackdown
1 year, 5 months ago

El Salvador’s Congress votes to allow mass trials in gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

El Salvador’s justice minister says up to 900 alleged gang members could be prosecuted at once under the new law. El Salvador’s Congress has approved group trials for the tens of thousands of people arrested during President Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on criminal gangs, which has given the country one of the world’s highest incarceration rates. Wednesday’s legislation will allow prosecutors …

Investigating El Salvador’s crackdown on gangs
1 year, 6 months ago

Investigating El Salvador’s crackdown on gangs

Al Jazeera  

A crackdown on gangs in El Salvador drops the murder rate in the country by more than 50 percent, but at what price? It has been more than a year since El Salvador declared a state of emergency as part of President Nayib Bukele’s promise to crack down on gangs. But, in the process, the government arrested almost 70,000 people …

OAS panel urges El Salvador to restore suspended rights
1 year, 8 months ago

OAS panel urges El Salvador to restore suspended rights

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Inter American Commission on …

El Salvador committing ‘systematic’ abuses in gang purge: Amnesty
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador committing ‘systematic’ abuses in gang purge: Amnesty

Al Jazeera  

Government has committed abuses such as torture, enforced disappearances in year-long gang crackdown, rights group says. Authorities in El Salvador have committed “systematic” human rights abuses since launching a nationwide state of emergency last year to tackle gang violence, including torture and enforced disappearances, Amnesty International said. The rights group said on Monday that the Salvadoran government’s “state of exception” …

El Salvador marks its first year under anti-gang crackdown
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador marks its first year under anti-gang crackdown

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The Central American nation of El Salvador marked a full year Monday under anti-gang emergency measures that were originally supposed to last only a month. Recalling last March 27 when the last homicide wave occurred, Bukele wrote in his Twitter account “that was one of the most difficult days of my life.” Referring to police …

War on gangs forges new El Salvador. But the price is steep
1 year, 9 months ago

War on gangs forges new El Salvador. But the price is steep

Associated Press  

SOYAPANGO, El Salvador — For the family of 44-year-old Maritza Pacheco, opening a corner shop outside their home four months ago was a small miracle. But over the past year, El Salvador has undergone a radical transformation since President Nayib Bukele – the self-described “world’s coolest dictator” – suspended constitutional rights and started an all-out offensive on the gangs. “And …

El Salvador's congress extends anti-gang crackdown
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador's congress extends anti-gang crackdown

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy El Salvador’s congress has voted …

El Salvador extends emergency powers in year-long gang crackdown
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador extends emergency powers in year-long gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

Measures enjoy widespread support, but rights groups say they have led to arbitrary arrests and prison overcrowding. The so-called state of exception, renewed for a 12th time late on Wednesday by the Salvadoran Congress, came into effect last year and has led to around 66,000 arrests in the Central American nation. While the emergency measures enjoy widespread support in El …

El Salvador: 2,000 more to prison, vows will ‘never return’
1 year, 9 months ago

El Salvador: 2,000 more to prison, vows will ‘never return’

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s government sent 2,000 more suspects to a huge new prison built especially for gang members Wednesday, and the the justice minister vowed that “they will never return” to the streets. Gustavo Villatoro, the government’s minister for justice and peace, said the suspected gang members would never return to the streets, even though about …

Watch: El Salvador moves thousands of alleged gang members to ‘mega prison’
1 year, 10 months ago

Watch: El Salvador moves thousands of alleged gang members to ‘mega prison’

Firstpost  

Some 63,000 presumed gang members have been rounded up since President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency months ago, allowing arrests without warrants in the violence-plagued country New Delhi: El Salvador has arrested thousands of suspected gang members, as a part of its contentious operation on crime. “Today at dawn, in a single operation, we transferred the first 2,000 …

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs
1 year, 10 months ago

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy El Salvador’s congress has approved …

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs
1 year, 10 months ago

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s congress has approved President Nayib Bukele’s request to extend the period of special powers for another month, meaning the country will go at least a full year with some fundamental rights suspended in fight against gangs. After a surge in gang violence in March 2022, in which 62 people were killed in a …

El Salvador bets safety on incarceration; unveils new prison
1 year, 11 months ago

El Salvador bets safety on incarceration; unveils new prison

Associated Press  

TECOLUCA, El Salvador — When El Salvador began making mass arrests of people with suspected gang affiliations last year, President Nayib Bukele ordered the construction of what would be the largest prison in Latin America. Bukele put it in simple terms in a tweet Thursday: “El Salvador has managed to go from being the world’s most dangerous country, to the …

El Salvador renews state of emergency as gang crackdown continues
1 year, 11 months ago

El Salvador renews state of emergency as gang crackdown continues

Al Jazeera  

Government says emergency measures have led to drop in murders, but rights groups raise concerns about reported abuses. El Salvador’s legislature has extended a state of emergency for 30 days as President Nayib Bukele’s administration continues a months-long “war” against criminal gangs that has led to the arrests of tens of thousands of people. El Salvador first imposed the emergency …

El Salvador congress extends gang crackdown yet again
2 years ago

El Salvador congress extends gang crackdown yet again

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The congress of El Salvador has voted to extend President Nayib Bukele’s emergency powers to crack down on gangs for yet another month. Activists say it has led to human rights abuses, and Salvadoran officials said they will review prison conditions with human rights groups starting in January. The country’s human rights official, Raquel Caballero, …

Police presence ramps up in Honduras under state of emergency
2 years, 1 month ago

Police presence ramps up in Honduras under state of emergency

Al Jazeera  

Police have stepped up their presence on the streets of Honduras after President Xiomara Castro declared a state of emergency to quash a rise in gang activity in the Central American nation. Castro, who took office in January as Honduras’s first female president, declared a state of emergency on Thursday and urged police to recover public spaces “assaulted and controlled …

El Salvador President Bukele’s reelection bid stokes L.A. immigrants’ fears of new civil war
2 years, 2 months ago

El Salvador President Bukele’s reelection bid stokes L.A. immigrants’ fears of new civil war

LA Times  

Digging into a bowl of chips and salsa at a Salvadoran restaurant on Vermont Avenue, Kevin Rivas shared his memories of the prison where he became intimately acquainted with pain, humiliation and impotent fury. “These photos are taken of us to make us look bad,” said Rivas, 26, as his father shared a harrowing police photo of his bald-headed son, …

El Salvador: 55,000 suspected gang members arrested since March
2 years, 2 months ago

El Salvador: 55,000 suspected gang members arrested since March

Al Jazeera  

The crackdown continues as parliament extended emergency powers that allow authorities to arrest suspects without warrants. More than 55,000 suspected gang members have been arrested since President Nayib Bukele declared a so-called “war” on criminal groups seven months ago, the country’s justice minister has said, as the legislative assembly voted in favour of a further extension of a controversial state …

El Salvador extends state of exception; 50,000 arrested
2 years, 4 months ago

El Salvador extends state of exception; 50,000 arrested

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — With 50,000 people locked up since late March for alleged gang ties, El Salvador’s congress has approved another month-long extension of the state of exception that suspends some fundamental rights in the name of combatting the country’s powerful gangs. Outside the congress before the vote, 25-year-old Virginia Guadalupe Solano López said her husband, José Alfredo …

El Salvador extends state of exception as arrests hit 50,000
2 years, 4 months ago

El Salvador extends state of exception as arrests hit 50,000

Al Jazeera  

El Salvador’s Congress has approved a one-month extension to a state of exception used to round up alleged gang members, as the chief of police announced more than 50,000 people had been detained under the extraordinary measures. “We can inform the Salvadoran people that we have already reached 50,000 recorded detentions during the period of the emergency regime,” Mauricio Arriaza, …

El Salvador extends state of emergency amid gang crackdown
2 years, 7 months ago

El Salvador extends state of emergency amid gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

Rights groups have accused the government of arbitrary arrests and violations of due process amid two month crackdown. The measure has since been accompanied by a raft of new anti-gang laws rights groups say infringe on the rights of the country’s 6.5 million citizens. On Wednesday, Bukele’s security minister, Gustavo Villatoro, said the government’s “war” on gangs will continue, even …

El Salvador rights groups cite 338 violations amid gang crackdown
2 years, 8 months ago

El Salvador rights groups cite 338 violations amid gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

Amid a spike in homicides, President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in March aimed at stemming gang violence. Five human rights groups in El Salvador have reported that there have been complaints of at least 338 violations of human rights during El Salvador’s crackdown on gang members. At least 24,000 presumed gang members have been arrested since the …

El Salvador extends state of emergency to curb gang violence
2 years, 8 months ago

El Salvador extends state of emergency to curb gang violence

Al Jazeera  

Measures enacted by the government have raised concerns over rights abuses with thousands arrested. El Salvador has extended the state of emergency imposed last month to crack down on gang violence amid concerns of human rights violations. “We continue… #WarAgainstGangs.” Human rights organisations have said the detentions include arbitrary arrests of non-gang members and abuses of authority. From legal reforms …

El Salvador criminalises showing gang-related messages in media
2 years, 9 months ago

El Salvador criminalises showing gang-related messages in media

Al Jazeera  

El Salvador’s Congress has approved a request by President Nayib Bukele to criminalise gang-related messages in the media, including news outlets, in a step to control the rising cases of homicides in the Latin American nation. The measure also targets those who “mark” their territories with acronyms, referring to a common practice gang members use to threaten those who report …

El Salvador: A state of emergency indeed
2 years, 9 months ago

El Salvador: A state of emergency indeed

Al Jazeera  

On Saturday, March 26, El Salvador registered 62 homicides, the most recorded on any single day since the end of the country’s bloody civil war in 1992. Anyway, the pandemic response was a whopping success in El Salvador, as noted by a Bloomberg opinion article in May: “Police were given broad powers to enter homes without warrants and arrest those …

El Salvador’s Bukele warns gangs lead to ‘prison or death’
2 years, 9 months ago

El Salvador’s Bukele warns gangs lead to ‘prison or death’

Al Jazeera  

President’s comments come as country cracks down on gang membership after wave of murders last weekend. President Nayib Bukele has warned parents in El Salvador to keep their children away from gangs to avoid “prison or death”, as the country cracks down on gang membership after dozens of people were killed last weekend in a surge in violence. It is …

El Salvador declares state of emergency after gang killings
2 years, 9 months ago

El Salvador declares state of emergency after gang killings

Al Jazeera  

The measures come after 62 homicides were reported on Saturday, making it the most violent day in nearly 30 years. “We approve the exceptional regime, which will allow our government to protect the lives of Salvadorans and confront criminality head-on,” said Ernesto Castro, the congress’s president, said after an extraordinary session early on Sunday. — Nayib Bukele March 27, 2022 …

El Salvador declares state of emergency amid killings
2 years, 9 months ago

El Salvador declares state of emergency amid killings

The Hindu  

El Salvador's congress granted President Nayib Bukele request to declare a state of emergency early Sunday amid a wave of gang-related killings over the weekend. Mr. Bukele announced the request in his social media accounts, and taunted those who opposed the measure, saying: “Is the opposition coming out to defend the gang members?” While Mr. Bukele has tried to project …

El Salvador declares state of emergency amid killings
2 years, 9 months ago

El Salvador declares state of emergency amid killings

LA Times  

A young man is detained by police in San Salvador during a weekend of record homicides. El Salvador’s congress granted President Nayib Bukele’s request to declare a state of emergency early Sunday amid a wave of gang-related killings over the weekend. Bukele announced the request in his social media accounts, and taunted those who opposed the measure, saying: “Is the …

U.S. Treasury: El Salvador government negotiated with gangs
3 years, 1 month ago

U.S. Treasury: El Salvador government negotiated with gangs

Associated Press  

MEXICO CITY — El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s government secretly negotiated a truce with leaders of the country’s powerful street gangs, the U.S. Treasury charged Wednesday, contradicting Bukele’s denials and raising tensions between the two nations. In 2020, Bukele’s administration ‘’provided financial incentives to Salvadoran gangs MS-13 and 18th Street Gang to ensure that incidents of gang violence and the …

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