Salvadoran gang crackdown
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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]
Crime spike
On Friday, March 25 through Sunday, March 27, 87 people were murdered in El Salvador,[4] including 62 people on Sunday alone,[1] the highest single-day tally in decades;[2] by contrast, 79 people were murdered during the entire month of February.[4] The government blamed the violence on Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).[5] 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". The order suspended the rights to 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.[6] The order will last thirty days and could be extended.[3] 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]
Since the declaration of a state of emergency, more than 6,000 people have been arrested.[5] Bukele ordered that all gang members remain in their cells 24/7,[6]
Reactions
References
- ^ a b c d e f g 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 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 "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 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 "El Salvador declares state of emergency after gang killings". Aljazeera. March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022.