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Salvadoran gang crackdown

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The 2022 Salvadoran gang crackdown began in March 2022, in response to a crime spike between 25 March and 27 March 2022 when 87 people were killed in El Salvador, which the government blamed on MS-13. The Salvadoran Legislative Assembly approved a state of emergency that suspended the rights of association and legal counsel and increased the time spent in detention without charge, among other measures that expanded the powers of law enforcement in the country. Since the declaration of the state of emergency, over 44,000 people have been arrested,[1] which has overcrowded El Salvador's prisons. Domestically, the crackdown has been popular among Salvadorans weary of gang violence. However, human rights groups expressed concern that the arrests were arbitrary and had little to do with gang violence, and US government representatives expressed concern about the violence in the country and the methods used to combat it; these comments were criticized by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

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.[2] When Nayib Bukele was elected president in 2019, he declared that reducing violence was a priority,[2] 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.[3] Although the decline had begun in 2016, Bukele attributed it to his policies,[2] and it has been one of his most-touted accomplishments.[4] Bukele enjoys an "extremely high"[4] popularity rating of approximately 85%, one of the highest in the world.[5] 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"[2] and has denounced previous administrations who made similar deals.[4]

Crime spike

From 25 to 27 March 2022, 87 people were murdered in El Salvador,[6] including 62 people on Saturday alone,[2] the highest single-day tally in decades;[3] by contrast, 79 people were murdered throughout the entire month of February.[6] The victims were targeted randomly.[7] The government blamed the violence on Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13).[8] 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;[4] 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.[2]

Government crackdown

During an extraordinary session early on 27 March, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly approved a "state of exception".[9] The order, which was initially set to last thirty days but has been extended twice,[10] suspended the rights of association and legal counsel, increased the amount of time that persons may be detained without being charged from three days to fifteen, and permitted the government to monitor citizens' communications without warrants.[9] However, Salvadoran law enforcement was accused of violating even the expanded limits of their powers.[4][8] The government also restricted the ability of judges to offer prisoners alternatives to pre-trial detention, like bail and house arrest.[11]

Members of Nuevas Ideas passed new rules that increase prison sentences for convicted gang lords to forty to forty-five years (previously six to nine) and twenty to thirty years for other members (previously three to five)[3] and reduce the age of criminal responsibility, previously sixteen years old,[11] to twelve.[10] They also passed a law that threatens anyone who reproduces or disseminates messages from gangs, including news media, with ten to fifteen years in prison.[12]

The government deployed additional police and military forces,[13] raiding houses and creating checkpoints surrounding neighborhoods with known gang presences.[2] Soldiers checked everyone for identification cards and proof of address,[8] searched their vehicles and backpacks,[4] and refused to let anyone enter or leave without what they considered a legitimate reason.[8] Anyone considered suspicious was forced to strip so soldiers could check for gang-related tattoos.[8]

By the end of 27 March, Salvadoran security forces claimed to have detained 576 people;[7] within a week, almost 6,000 people had been arrested, straining El Salvador's already-overcrowded prisons.[8] Nevertheless, the government pressured the police, military, and judicial system to continue the mass arrests by setting arrest quotas.[11] After one month, more than 17,000 people had been arrested;[12] on 25 May, the National Civil Police announced that more than 34,500 people had been arrested since the start of the state of emergency.[11] Many people were unable to learn where or why relatives were detained.[7] Rations for prisoners were reduced to two meals each day[6] consisting of only beans and tortillas;[2] Bukele explained that he would "not take budget away from schools to feed these terrorists".[9] Prisoners have also been denied mattresses and frog marched,[10] and Bukele ordered that all gang members be confined to their cells 24/7.[9]

Reactions

Domestically, the crackdown was popular.[8] An April 2022 Gallup poll found that 91% of Salvadorans supported the government's actions, including 78% who supported them "much."[14] Many Salvadorans explained that they were weary of violence.[15]

Human rights advocates have criticized the arrests as often arbitrary, based on a person's appearance or residence, and expressed concern that innocent people are being caught in the sweeps.[10] Bukele claimed that only 1% of arrests would be incorrect,[16] and Salvadoran Defense Minister René Merino claimed that arrested persons found to have no links to gangs would be freed, saying that "the people need to know that if they're not involved in anything bad, nothing bad will happen to them." Human Rights Watch criticized the government's policy as: "first arrest, then tweet, and investigate later," referencing Salvadoran police's tweets depicting people's arrests.[17] Human rights groups have also expressed concern that the arrests have little to do with gang violence, suggesting Bukele will use them to consolidate power and target critics.[7]

In a tweet on 10 April, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken "condemn[ed]" the increase in gang violence in El Salvador and "urge[d]" the government to respect due process and civil liberties.[18] The same day, State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted affirming that the United States "continues to support El Salvador" against gangs while urging it to protect its citizens and their civil liberties.[19] The next day, Bukele responded that United States' support against Salvadoran gangs had come under the Trump administration, citing the withdrawal of American aid from the National Civil Police and Institute for Access to Public Information four months into the Biden administration, and saying that the United States now only supported the civil liberties of gangs.[16]

References

  1. ^ Ministry of Security [@SeguridadSV] (2 July 2022). "No vamos a dar un paso atrás en esta #GuerraContraPandillas. A todos los terroristas solo les quedan dos caminos: la cárcel o la muerte. #Seguimos 👊🏻" [We will not take a step back in this #WarAgainstGangs. To all terrorists, you only have two paths: prison or death. #WeContinue 👊🏻] (Tweet) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2022 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Murray, Christine (5 April 2022). Written at Mexico City. "El Salvador's gang crackdown prompts fears of growing authoritarianism". Financial Times. London. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "UN rights office raises concerns about El Salvador gang crackdown". Al Jazeera. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Alemán, Marcos (29 March 2022). Written at San Salvador. "El Salvador forces encircle neighborhoods in gang crackdown". Associated Press. New York City. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  5. ^ Abi-Habib, Maria; Avelar, Bryan (27 March 2022). "Explosion of Gang Violence Grips El Salvador, Setting Record". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "El Salvador locks down prisons after wave of 87 killings over weekend". The Guardian. Associated Press. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Abi-Habib, Maria; Avelar, Bryan (28 March 2022). "Hundreds Arrested in El Salvador, Raising Fears of a Civil Liberties Crackdown". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Avelar, Bryan; Lakhani, Nina (5 April 2022). Written at San Salvador and Santa Tecla. "El Salvador reels as 6,000 people arrested in unprecedented crackdown". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  9. ^ a b c d "El Salvador declares state of emergency after gang killings". Al Jazeera. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Written at San Salvador. "El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency for another month". Associated Press. New York City. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d Brigida, Anna-Cat (26 May 2022). "Pressure to make arrests as El Salvador extends gang crackdown". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  12. ^ a b "El Salvador extends state of emergency to curb gang violence". Al Jazeera. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  13. ^ Brigida, Anna-Cat (28 March 2022). "Surge in gang killings spurs fear, uncertainty in El Salvador". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  14. ^ Población de acuerdo con medidas tomadas por el gobierno contra pandilleros (PDF) (Report) (in Spanish). CID Gallup. April 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  15. ^ "El Salvador extends state of emergency amid gang crackdown". Al Jazeera. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  16. ^ a b "Bukele tiene un mensaje para Biden: 'Sí recibimos apoyo de EU para combatir pandillas... pero con Trump'". El Financerio (in Spanish). 12 April 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  17. ^ "El Salvador anti-gang measures 'a success' as 17,000 held". BBC. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  18. ^ Blinken, Antony [@SecBlinken] (10 April 2022). "We condemn the increased gang violence and homicides in El Salvador. We also urge the Government of El Salvador to uphold due process and protect civil liberties, including freedoms of press, peaceful assembly, and expression." (Tweet). Retrieved 28 May 2022 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Price, Ned [@StateDeptSpox] (10 April 2022). "The U.S. government continues to support El Salvador in its efforts to reduce the proliferation of gangs. We urge El Salvador to protect its citizens while also upholding civil liberties, including freedom of the press." (Tweet). Retrieved 28 May 2022 – via Twitter.
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