Two former inmates talk to EL PAÍS about the terrors they saw while imprisoned in the country’s jails, which are at breaking point due to Bukele’s controversial crackdown on gangs
Under the current state of emergency, the Salvadoran authorities have committed massive human rights violations, including thousands of arbitrary detentions and violations of due process, as well as torture and ill-treatment, and at least 18 people have died in state custody, Amnesty International said today, following its research into the crisis in the country. President Bukele’s government declared a state of emergency on 27 March, following a spike in homicides allegedly committed by gangs, which has since been extended twice.
Instead of offering an effective response to gang violence and public security challenges, authorities are subjecting the Salvadoran people to a tragedy.