( Spanish) — The Vice Minister of Justice of El Salvador, Osiris Luna, reported that this Tuesday they began the destruction of tombs of alleged gang members that have images or symbols related to these criminal structures.
“No terrorist deserves any recognition, that’s why we destroy all traces of these groups,” Luna wrote on her Twitter account.
As confirmed by the Government, they were inmates in the procedural phase of trust, members of the “I change” prison program, who destroyed several graves in the Santa Tecla cemetery, about 10 kilometers from San Salvador.
Luna added on Twitter that “the terrorists ‘honored’ the graves and placed flowers for their members.”
“In this country, gangs no longer have a place,” the official concludes in his tweet.
The terrorists “honored” and placed flowers to their members, in the Santa Tecla cemetery.
No terrorist deserves any recognition, which is why we destroy all traces of these groups.
In this country, gangs no longer have a place.#GangWar pic.twitter.com/AT3ggqzZGe
– Osiris Luna Meza (@OsirisLunaMeza) November 1, 2022
According to the authorities, the remains of the deceased will remain in the same place. However, family members will no longer be able to post any message or image related to maras or gangs.
It should be remembered that the government of President Nayib Bukele has also carried out graffiti removal days to prevent gangs from painting messages that generate fear among the population.
The authorities say that these measures are part of what they call the “war against the gangs”, a policy put in place since a spike in violence in late March left 62 dead in a single day. At the time, authorities blamed those deaths on gangs.
In response to official measures, and at the request of the government, the Legislative Assembly approved the emergency regime on March 29, which has been extended seven times for periods of 30 days. The last one was approved by the Assembly on October 14. Authorities say that, since it took effect, more than 56,000 people have been detained.
The regime suspends constitutional guarantees, such as freedom of association and the right to defense, and extends provisional detention from 72 hours to 15 days. In addition, it allows the authorities to intervene in telecommunications without the need for prior authorization from a judge.
