Security forces in El Salvador surround town after officer is killed
1 year, 7 months ago

Security forces in El Salvador surround town after officer is killed

CNN  

CNN — Thousands of security forces in El Salvador surrounded a northern town on Wednesday in a bid to arrest those behind the alleged gang-related killing of a police officer, according to President Nayib Bukele. “They will pay dearly for the murder of our hero,” Bukele said on Twitter, saying some 5,000 members of the armed forces and 500 police officers were sent to the municipality of Nueva Concepción “in search of those responsible for the homicide, and the entire gang structure and collaborators who are still hiding in that place,” he wrote. A police officer stops a man in Nueva Concepcion after Bukele announced the deployment of security forces to the area in May 17, 2023. Similar security operations have taken place under the state of emergency, where forces have surrounded areas considered dangerous in a bid to tackle gang members.

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History of this topic

Human rights body urges El Salvador to end state of emergency
3 months, 2 weeks 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 …

At least 241 people have died in El Salvador’s prisons during the ‘war on gangs,’ rights group says
8 months, 3 weeks 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
8 months, 3 weeks 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
9 months, 2 weeks ago

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

The Independent  

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El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency decree for 24th time. It’s now been in effect for two years
9 months, 2 weeks 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 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 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

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 With tattoo-covered faces, and wearing …

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 sends 8,000 troops, police to rural province in gang crackdown
1 year, 4 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 …

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 …

Photos: Inside El Salvador’s new ‘mega prison’ for gang members
1 year, 9 months ago

Photos: Inside El Salvador’s new ‘mega prison’ for gang members

Al Jazeera  

The first 2,000 inmates of a new prison built in El Salvador to accommodate more than 40,000 suspected gang members targeted in President Nayib Bukele’s “war” on crime have arrived at the facility. Bukele tweeted on Friday: “At dawn, in a single operation, we transferred the first 2,000 members to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism,” which he said …

Watch: El Salvador moves thousands of alleged gang members to ‘mega prison’
1 year, 9 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 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 …

In El Salvador, a tough anti-gang crackdown proves popular
1 year, 11 months ago

In El Salvador, a tough anti-gang crackdown proves popular

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Nine months into a state of emergency declared by President Nayib Bukele to fight street gangs, El Salvador has seen more than 1,000 documented human rights abuses and about 90 deaths of prisoners in custody. For decades, El Salvador’s main street gangs, Barrio 18 and the MS-13, have extorted money from nearly everyone and taken …

El Salvador deploys 10,000 troops to gang-run capital suburb
2 years ago

El Salvador deploys 10,000 troops to gang-run capital suburb

Al Jazeera  

President Nayib Bukele announced on Twitter that ‘8,500 soldiers and 1,500 agents have surrounded’ a suburb of San Salvador. El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has announced the deployment of 10,000 security forces to a suburb of San Salvador known to be a stronghold for gangs. “8,500 soldiers and 1,500 agents have surrounded the city, while extraction teams from the police …

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 …

In El Salvador, army surrounds town to root out gang
2 years, 2 months ago

In El Salvador, army surrounds town to root out gang

Associated Press  

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — More than 2,000 soldiers and police surrounded and closed off a town in El Salvador Sunday in order to search for street gang members accused in a killing. President Nayib Bukele wrote in his Twitter account that members of the MS-13 gang were believed to still be inside Comasagua, about 20 miles southwest of the …

El Salvador extends state of emergency amid gang crackdown
2 years, 6 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, 7 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 …

Can gang warfare in El Salvador be defeated?
2 years, 7 months ago

Can gang warfare in El Salvador be defeated?

Al Jazeera  

The government has imposed a state of emergency to curb fighting between rival gangs. Tens of thousands of suspected gang members have been arrested in El Salvador since late March, when the government imposed a state of emergency amid a surge in homicides. More than 24,000 presumed gang members have been detained and in late April the government extended 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 NGOs challenge criminalisation of gang reporting
2 years, 8 months ago

El Salvador NGOs challenge criminalisation of gang reporting

Al Jazeera  

The groups have asked the judiciary to declare as unconstitutional law reforms that limit reporting on gangs. A group of nongovernmental organisations in El Salvador has asked the country’s judiciary to declare as unconstitutional recent law reform that journalists have warned could criminalise reporting on gangs. The reform, pushed by President Nayib Bukele, was passed by the country’s legislature on …

El Salvador says 10,000 arrested in sweeping gang crackdown
2 years, 8 months ago

El Salvador says 10,000 arrested in sweeping gang crackdown

Al Jazeera  

President Nayib Bukele says ‘war against gangs’ continues despite concerns raised by rights groups and other observers. Authorities in El Salvador have arrested more than 10,000 suspected gang members, President Nayib Bukele said, as his government pushes to root out violent crime following a recent uptick in murders. On Tuesday, Bukele noted on Twitter that 10,094 terrorists had been arrested …

El Salvador criminalises showing gang-related messages in media
2 years, 8 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’s Bukele warns gangs lead to ‘prison or death’
2 years, 8 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 …

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