Salvador: Amnesty International warns of persistent threats to human rights
Human rights violations will “
continue
”, or even worsen, in El Salvador with the new mandate of President Nayib Bukele if the state of emergency is maintained to combat gangs, Amnesty International warned this Wednesday 27 March, the day marking two years of this regime. On March 27, 2022, Nayib Bukele declared a merciless “war” on the gangs controlling a large part of the country.
In El Salvador, gang members who were transferred to the Terrorism Containment Center (Cecot). via REUTERS - SECRETARIA DE PRENSA DE LA PRESI
By: RFI with AFP
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According to new official figures released on March 26, more than 78,000 suspected gang members have been arrested in two years and 3,939 firearms as well as 8,000 vehicles seized in El
Salvador
. “
This war against these terrorists will continue
,” assured the Minister of Justice and Security, Gustavo Villatoro, on public television.
In a press release, Amnesty International raises "
the possibility, during President Bukele's second term, of a deepening of the human rights crisis observed over the past two years
." “
If the course is not corrected, the exploitation of the penal process and the establishment of a policy of torture in the prison system could continue
,” the organization added in a press release. “
It is impossible to reduce gang violence by replacing it with state violence.
»
According to Amnesty, local NGOs have recorded “
327 cases of forced disappearances
” and “
a prison over-occupancy of around 148%
”, with “
at least 235 deaths in detention
”.
Also read: Salvador: 403 suspected gang leaders in pre-trial detention until 2025
Nayib Bukele rejects criticism outright
Nayib Bukele, re-elected in February with 85% of the votes for a new five-year term, claims to have made El Salvador “
the safest country in the world
”. He rejects the criticism and assured the UN in September that there was no foreign recipe for fighting organized crime and that “
no country has the right to impose its ideas
”. It “
has shown its inability to put in place large-scale measures to address the underlying causes of violence and crime
,” said Ana Piquer, Amnesty director for the Americas.
Amnesty calls on the Salvadoran authorities to promote a policy that favors “
respect for human rights and the search for large-scale solutions
” and the international community to “
condemn any model of public security based on the violation of human rights man
".
Also read Salvador: Nayib Bukele's security policy, success or threat?
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