El Salvador Under a "State of Exception:" Human Rights Violations and Suspension of Freedoms
MARCH 17, 2023
BY CARMEN RODRÍGUEZ
The pro-government deputies approved in early January the tenth extension of martial law that allows the government, among other things, to hide information on public spending. The exception regime includes the suspension of the constitutional guarantees of Salvadorans and the use of the military in public security.
Since March 2022 when El Salvador’s government began implementation of its cornerstone security strategy, it has been marked by reports of human rights violations, arbitrary detentions, abuses by security forces, forced disappearances, and blockades to access to public information by the State.
This is revealed by the latest report from human rights organizations that compiled thousands of complaints of police abuse, torture, persecution and lack of judicial guarantees attributed to the National Civil Police (PNC), the Armed Forces (FAES) and the Prosecutor’s Office (FGR). Despite the mounting evidence of abuses, President Nayib Bukele’s approval levels remain high, and his security actions, which include the emergency regime and the use of the military for public security tasks, also continue to be popular.
Over the last nine months, Cristosal, the UCA Human Rights Institute (IDHUCA), the Women Defenders Network, FESPAD, and the Azul Originario organization received 3,211 complaints of arbitrary detentions. “The state of exception regime has had several stages and types in terms of arrests. In the first, it was possible to observe how in the first months there were massive detentions, and the use of stigmatizing criteria such as people’s place of residence. And of course, since there were no criteria for prior investigation, but only where they resided or the existence of tattoos or an age range or physical appearance–there were many arbitrary detentions,” said Ruth Eleonora López, lawyer for Cristosal.
At the end of last year, Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado announced that the government had arrested more than 60,000 suspected gang members in the context of the “war” launched by Bukele in March 2022 under the exception regime. Human Rights Watch (HRW) also pointed out that many of the arrests were made based on physical appearance and place of residence of the detainees, generally from marginalized areas that have historically been hotspots for violence in the Central American country.
More:
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/03/17/el-salvador-under-a-state-of-exception-human-rights-violations-and-suspension-of-freedoms/
