Amnesty International has accused the government of El Salvador of committing “systematic” human rights abuses since the launch of a nationwide state of emergency last year to tackle gang violence. The rights group claims that the state of exception, first declared in March 2022 by President Nayib Bukele and periodically renewed since then, has resulted in widespread violations of due process. Amnesty International also alleges that the policy has led to torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, mass criminal prosecutions and the indiscriminate imprisonment of tens of thousands of people. More than 66,000 people have been detained under the policy, with some families claiming their loved ones have been rounded up despite not being affiliated with gangs. The government suspended certain civil liberties, including the right to a lawyer and the right to gather, under the state of emergency.
Critics have warned that the state of exception is eroding democracy and civil rights in El Salvador for a plan that may amount to a quick fix rather than a long-term solution to crime and gang activity. However, Bukele’s popularity has surged as the crackdown exerts pressure on networks of gangs that have brought violence and exploitation to many areas of the country for years. In March, El Salvador extended the state of exception for the 12th time, giving the government wide discretion to make arrests, access private communications and strip Salvadorans of their right to a lawyer. The text of the legislative decree stated that the “war against gangs conducted by the government has allowed the Salvadoran population to feel a sense of security”.
Bukele recently unveiled a new mega-prison to hold people rounded up under the state of emergency. “This will be their new house, where they will live for decades, all mixed, unable to do any further harm to the population,” the president said in February. However, Amnesty International warned on Monday that Salvadorans “living in the most impoverished areas who have historically suffered the scourge of gangs” were being criminalised under the policy, while there is little transparency or recourse for those wrongfully imprisoned. The group claims that human rights violations are being carried out in a “widespread and sustained” manner with the support of various branches of the state.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, said in a statement: “The deaths of 132 people in state custody, arbitrary detention, mass criminal prosecutions and the indiscriminate imprisonment of tens of thousands of people are incompatible with an effective, fair and lasting public security strategy. The systematic violation of human rights and the dismantling of the rule of law are not the answer to the problems facing the country.” Guevara-Rosas also stated that “the dehumanization that thousands of unjustly imprisoned people are suffering is intolerable”.