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Human rights body urges end to state of emergency in El Salvador

El Salvador is once again under pressure from human rights organisations to end the state of emergency initiated in 2022 as part of a crackdown on gangs. On 4 September, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urged the country to restore civil rights laws that have been suspended for two years, arguing that clamping down on gang violence can be done without the violation of basic rights.

Between the beginning of the state of emergency in March 2022 and November 2023, over 73,000 people were detained with most being held in pretrial detention, according to the IACHR. The organisation highlighted numerous serious human rights violations by Salvadoran authorities, including arbitrary and illegal detentions, unlawful home raids, excessive use of force, and abuses against children and adolescents.

President Nayib Bukele, who initiated the state of emergency, remains highly popular, largely due to his tough-on-crime policies aimed at curbing gang violence.

El Salvador was one of the most violent nations in Latin America prior to Bukele’s crackdown. To address the crisis, Bukele received congressional approval for the state of emergency. The law has been extended monthly since its introduction.

In addition to the human rights concerns, critics argue that Bukele’s focus on gang violence has diverted attention from pressing humanitarian issues. Currently, over one million of El Salvador’s 6.3 million citizens require humanitarian assistance, the majority of them women. 

For more, read our recent article:

This is a long shot set in the middle of a park. We see some men with their backs to the camera and facing a wall with their hands on their hands as they are being searched by police.

In El Salvador, peaceful streets carry hidden costs

Many Salvadorans back Bukele’s crackdown on gangs, but rights activists have raised concerns over arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances.

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