El Salvador - March 2023

El Salvador’s state of emergency, instated to counter gang violence, passed its one-year mark on 27 March, and was again renewed. During the past year, over 65,000 people have been detained, including children. Authorities have acknowledged that at least 5,000 detained persons had no connection to gangs and were released. Human rights organizations have expressed worry over the profiling of young men, widespread arbitrary arrests, lack of due process, as well as at least 90 deaths and ill-treatment in custody. In this context, over 2,000 persons deprived of their liberty have been transferred to a maximum-security prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center, that has also been criticized for falling short of international standards related to the treatment of detainees. While President Bukele’s security strategy has negatively impacted human rights, his approval ratings currently top 90 per cent.  

Sources: United Nations, The New York Times, El Pais, Los Angeles Times