Human rights commission urges El Salvador to respect rights 

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights urged the government of El Salvador on Thursday to respect human rights as the Central American country cracks down on gang members. 

On March 26, Bukele declared a state of emergency in the country after the number of homicides increased dramatically. In only four days, 89 people were killed in four days compared to 79 homicides in all of February.

Under the state of emergency, the government has limited freedom of association, suspended constitutional protections for those being arrested, and reformed the country’s penal code to increase jail time for gang members. 

Bukele claimed that the country has arrested around 14,000 alleged gang members since the state of emergency was implemented 25 days ago.

Más de 14,000 terroristas fuera de nuestras calles, en solo 25 días.

Seguimos…#GuerraContraPandillas https://t.co/KBsZxW5x0P

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 20, 2022

According to the commission, however, many of the arrests carried out by the police are arbitrary and innocent people are being targeted.

“Many of the detentions have been carried out illegally, arbitrarily and through the use of violence, ” the commission said in a statement.

The Associated Press previously reported that National Police commanders in El Salvador were being pressured to meet daily arrest quotas, resulting in many many innocents arrested and police fabricating “false statements.”

Additionally, President Nayib Bukele claimed that gang members who are currently in Salvadorean prisons would face stricter punishments, including intensified food rationing, placing them in confined cells, and removing their bed mattresses. 

“[The government’s] power is not unlimited, because it has the duty at all times to act in accordance with applicable rules and respect the rights of all of those under its jurisdiction,” warned the commission.