Salvadoran gang crackdown: Difference between revisions
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==Government crackdown== |
==Government crackdown== |
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During an extraordinary session early on Sunday, March 27, the [[Legislative Assembly of El Salvador|Salvadoran Legislative Assembly]] approved a [[state of emergency|"state of exception"]].<ref name="AJ: state of emergency">{{cite news|date=March 28, 2022|title=El Salvador declares state of emergency after gang killings|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/28/el-salvador-invokes-state-of-emergency-after-62-killings-in-a-day|website=Aljazeera|access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> The order, which will last thirty days but could be extended,<ref name="AP"/> suspended the rights |
During an extraordinary session early on Sunday, March 27, the [[Legislative Assembly of El Salvador|Salvadoran Legislative Assembly]] approved a [[state of emergency|"state of exception"]].<ref name="AJ: state of emergency">{{cite news|date=March 28, 2022|title=El Salvador declares state of emergency after gang killings|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/28/el-salvador-invokes-state-of-emergency-after-62-killings-in-a-day|website=Aljazeera|access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> The order, which will last thirty days but could be extended,<ref name="AP"/> suspended the rights of [[Right of association|association]] and [[Right to counsel|legal counsel]], increased the amount of time that persons may be detained without [[criminal charge|charges]] from three days to fifteen, and permitted the government to monitor citizens' communications without [[Search warrant|warrants]].<ref name="AJ: state of emergency"/> Salvadoran law enforcement has been accused of violating even the expanded limits of their powers.<ref name="AP"/><ref name="Guardian: 6k arrested"/> Additionally, members of Nuevas Ideas passed new rules increasing prison sentences for gang members: convicted gang lords now face forty to forty-five years in prison (previously six to nine) while other members face twenty to thirty years (previously three to five),<ref name="AJ"/> with children as young as twelve facing ten years.<ref name="FT"/> |
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The government deployed additional police and military forces,<ref name="AJ: surge">{{cite news|last=Brigida|first=Anna-Cat|date=March 28, 2022|title=Surge in gang killings spurs fear, uncertainty in El Salvador|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/28/surge-in-gang-killings-spurs-fear-uncertainty-in-el-salvador|work=Aljazeera|access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> raiding houses and creating checkpoints surrounding neighborhoods with known gang presences.<ref name="FT"/> Soldiers checked everyone for identification cards and proof of address,<ref name="Guardian: 6k arrested"/> searched their vehicles and backpacks,<ref name="AP"/> and refused to let anyone enter or leave without what they considered a legitimate reason;<ref name="Guardian: 6k arrested"/> anyone considered suspicious was forced to strip so soldiers could check for gang-related tattoos.<ref name="Guardian: 6k arrested"/> |
The government deployed additional police and military forces,<ref name="AJ: surge">{{cite news|last=Brigida|first=Anna-Cat|date=March 28, 2022|title=Surge in gang killings spurs fear, uncertainty in El Salvador|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/28/surge-in-gang-killings-spurs-fear-uncertainty-in-el-salvador|work=Aljazeera|access-date=April 6, 2022}}</ref> raiding houses and creating checkpoints surrounding neighborhoods with known gang presences.<ref name="FT"/> Soldiers checked everyone for identification cards and proof of address,<ref name="Guardian: 6k arrested"/> searched their vehicles and backpacks,<ref name="AP"/> and refused to let anyone enter or leave without what they considered a legitimate reason;<ref name="Guardian: 6k arrested"/> anyone considered suspicious was forced to strip so soldiers could check for gang-related tattoos.<ref name="Guardian: 6k arrested"/> |
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Background
For decades, El Salvador has had one of the highest rates of gang-related violence in the world. In 2015, its homicide rate was more than 100 homicides per 100,000 persons.[1] When Bukele was elected president in 2019, he declared that reducing violence was a priority,[1] and in 2021, the homicide rate reached the lowest it has been since the Salvadoran Civil War ended in 1992, with 18 homicides per 100,000.[2] Although the decline had begun in 2016, Bukele attributed it to his policies,[1] and it has been one of his most-touted accomplishments, with Bukele enjoying an "extremely high" popularity rating.[3] The United States government accused Bukele of negotiating a secret agreement with the gangs, reducing violence in return for financial and prison benefits; in December 2021, the US Treasury Department sanctioned two Salvadoran officials it claimed conducted the talks. Bukele called the accusations of making a deal a "lie"[1] and has denounced previous administrations who made similar deals.[3]
Crime spike
On Friday, March 25 through Sunday, March 27, 87 people were murdered in El Salvador,[4] including 62 people on Saturday alone,[1] the highest single-day tally in decades;[2] by contrast, 79 people were murdered during the entire month of February.[4] The victims were targeted at random.[5] The government blamed the violence on Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).[6] William Soriano, a member of Bukele's Nuevas Ideas party, suggested the spike in violence was retaliation for the government's seizing control of two bus routes in the capital, which gangs often extort for revenue;[3] according to José Miguel Cruz, a research director at Florida International University, the gangs may have been sending a message to the government to try to obtain better terms.[1]
Government crackdown
During an extraordinary session early on Sunday, March 27, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly approved a "state of exception".[7] The order, which will last thirty days but could be extended,[3] suspended the rights of association and legal counsel, increased the amount of time that persons may be detained without charges from three days to fifteen, and permitted the government to monitor citizens' communications without warrants.[7] Salvadoran law enforcement has been accused of violating even the expanded limits of their powers.[3][6] Additionally, members of Nuevas Ideas passed new rules increasing prison sentences for gang members: convicted gang lords now face forty to forty-five years in prison (previously six to nine) while other members face twenty to thirty years (previously three to five),[2] with children as young as twelve facing ten years.[1]
The government deployed additional police and military forces,[8] raiding houses and creating checkpoints surrounding neighborhoods with known gang presences.[1] Soldiers checked everyone for identification cards and proof of address,[6] searched their vehicles and backpacks,[3] and refused to let anyone enter or leave without what they considered a legitimate reason;[6] anyone considered suspicious was forced to strip so soldiers could check for gang-related tattoos.[6]
By the end of March 27, Salvadoran security forces claimed they had detained 576 people;[5] since the declaration of a state of emergency, almost 6,000 people have been arrested, straining El Salvador's already-overcrowded prisons.[6] Rations have been reduced to two meals each day[4] consisting of only beans and tortillas,[1] with Bukele explaining that he would "not take budget away from schools to feed these terrorists."[7] He also ordered that all gang members remain in their cells 24/7.[7] Many people have been unable to learn where or why relatives were detained,[5] with several hundred women gathering outside of a naval base being used a detention center.[6]
Reactions
Domestically, the crackdown has been popular among many voters.[6] However, human rights groups have expressed concern that the arrests have little to do with the gang violence, suggesting Bukele will use it to consolidate power and target critics.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Murray, Christine (April 5, 2022). Written at Mexico City. "El Salvador's gang crackdown prompts fears of growing authoritarianism". Financial Times. London. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c "UN rights office raises concerns about El Salvador gang crackdown". Aljazeera. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Alemán, Marcos (March 29, 2022). Written at San Salvador. "El Salvador forces encircle neighborhoods in gang crackdown". Associated Press. New York City. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c "El Salvador locks down prisons after wave of 87 killings over weekend". The Guardian. Associated Press. March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Abi-Habib, Maria; Avelar, Bryan (March 28, 2022). "Hundreds Arrested in El Salvador, Raising Fears of a Civil Liberties Crackdown". The New York Times. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Avelar, Bryan; Lakhani, Nina (April 5, 2022). Written at San Salvador and Santa Tecla. "El Salvador reels as 6,000 people arrested in unprecedented crackdown". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "El Salvador declares state of emergency after gang killings". Aljazeera. March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ Brigida, Anna-Cat (March 28, 2022). "Surge in gang killings spurs fear, uncertainty in El Salvador". Aljazeera. Retrieved April 6, 2022.