‘Trapped in this hell’: How one El Salvador town transformed under Bukele
Al JazeeraIn the port town of Puerto el Triunfo, violence has dwindled, but fear has not amid President Bukele’s gang crackdown. “Recently, the soldiers dragged away some old, sick people who could barely walk — good, humble people who had worked hard all their lives,” Rosa said. They also question whether Bukele’s “mano dura” — or “iron fist” — policies are sustainable. “Mass incarceration and the isolation of gang leaders in maximum security prisons never serve to debilitate gangs in the long term,” said Sonja Wolf, a researcher at Mexico’s National Council of Humanities, Science and Technology and author of the book Mano Dura: The Politics of Gang Control in El Salvador. Last year, for instance, the United Nations called on Bukele to comply with international human rights law, amid reports of “serious violations of prisoners’ rights”, arbitrary detention and the overall “ill-treatment” of suspects.
History of this topic
El Salvador’s president jailed 1% of the population. Their children are paying the price
LA Times
El Salvador sends 4,000 security forces into 3 communities to pursue gang members
Associated Press
In El Salvador, a tough anti-gang crackdown proves popular
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