With this new extension, the country is approaching a year under this disciplinary regime. Despite the favorable figures shown by the Government of President Nayib Bukele in terms of security, there are voices that criticize the Executive’s actions in its fight against gangs.
After the debate in the Salvadoran Assembly, a legislature with an official majority, an extension of the controversial state of exception of President Nayib Bukele was approved for the eleventh time.
In a chamber of 84 deputies, 67 gave their Yes to the limitation of rights and guarantees that the Bukele government defends as necessary to combat the violence generated by gangs. With this extension, the country is approaching one year under this measure that suspends constitutional guarantees, among other freedoms.
The project was presented at the agency’s headquarters by the Minister of Justice and Security, Gustavo Villatoro, and part of the security cabinet.
“Know that the president, Nayib Bukele, and his Cabinet, with the support of the Legislative Assembly and the judicial body, we are not going to stop (…) And nobody is going to stop us,” said the senior official.
This hardening of the discourse is accompanied by broad popular support. The Reuters news agency reported that a poll conducted by the CID Gallup pollster found that 92% of Salvadorans support the state of emergency, approving the harsh approach of the authorities.
Voices in the legislative debate
But, despite the results and the good numbers shown by the political party in power, not everyone agrees with the methods. The opposing voices in the discussion of the project made themselves felt in the Assembly last Tuesday.
Claudia Ortiz, from the Vamos party, expressed her rejection of the absence of “a comprehensive plan” for managing security and “respect for innocent people.” For these, she called for their immediate release and the guarantee that there is “a due process so that Justice reaches the victims” and not just a process to show certain numbers.
I am convinced that peace in the streets can be achieved without the great human cost. And what is that cost? The margin of error: thousands of innocent people arrested, imprisoned, sick, some tortured and even dead in prisons.#RegimendeExcepcion pic.twitter.com/Rah4CGU6mI
— Claudia Ortiz (@ClaudiaOrtizSV) February 15, 2023
Ortiz said that he is not in favor of the gangs, but he does support a different mechanism for their fight, including seeking the truth for the victims. “It is very easy to be extending the exception regime every month,” he said. “But what is complex is really seeking the truth and Justice for those who have been victims of these very serious crimes by organized crime groups,” he concluded.
For her part, the vice president of the legislative body, Suecy Callejas, asked the dissident voices “what was the way” or “the master plan” that they proposed to combat violence. According to her, “since 1992 (…) not only have more people died than in the 12 years of civil war”, but also “none of the plans financed by foreign governments or cooperation agencies” worked.
After defending the emergency regime as “the only measure” that has allowed them to save the lives of their citizens, Callejas invited his opposition colleagues to “walk down the street” and vote in favor of the mandate, because if they did not vote she was not the one who was going to “ask for accounts”.
Glares and shadows of Bukele’s fight against the gangs
In this context, according to Executive figures, more than 64,000 suspected gang members have been arrested along with their partners. With the imposed regime, homicides fell by 57%, which represented 495 murders in 2022. A significant decrease compared to the 1,147 in 2021. According to the country’s leadership, there would be some 10,000 arrests to be made.
In the operations, important resources have also been confiscated from the alleged offenders. More than 2,700 weapons, 15,000 cell phones, some 2,000 vehicles, 1.7 million dollars in cash, among other belongings, according to the authorities.
Even extortion fell resoundingly, highlights the Government. This represented one of the most important economic sources of criminal groups.
But there are also shadows in this operation. One of them, recently denounced by the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), which accused the authorities of “massive violations of due process.”
The human rights defense organization explained that, among the thousands of detainees, there are some 1,082 children. Made possible by a law passed that lowered the age of criminal responsibility (from 16 to 12) for gang-related offenses.
Other HRW denunciations highlight the deaths in custody and the overcrowding of prisons, some, like La Esperanza, with four times more inmates than their proven capacity. A penitentiary center with a capacity for 40,000 people was recently inaugurated.
El Salvador has the highest incarceration rate in the world: around 2% of its population behind bars.
“This measure must continue”
At the moment, the fight against the gangs does not see an end on the horizon. “As long as we have these murderers and these terrorists (…) within the country, this measure must continue,” confirmed Villatoro, the Minister of Justice and Security.
The also member of President Bukele’s security cabinet, stressed the work that is being done, including at the international level, to root out the violence. The United States, Mexico and Guatemala are the nations that work hand in hand with the central nation of the American continent to find the criminals.
The official said that the exception provisions will only be lifted when insecurity “reaches numbers close to zero.” Faced with the accusations put forward by international organizations and human rights defenders, Villatoro was emphatic in his response: “We are not interested in condemning anyone unjustly.”
The minister denied the accusations of abuses within the framework of the regime and highlighted a little-known aspect in this process. Those who declared themselves “coerced” by the gangs to commit a crime were released.
Opinions and perceptions found in the streets
Attesting to this are several ordinary citizens who spoke to Reuters, such as 24-year-old Alexander. The university student is part of a group of people who are dedicated to painting graffiti in the streets. Today he expresses his art on the posters of the gangs.
The young man applauds the “freedom to develop”, also the “freedom to use the public spaces of the neighborhood without any fear”.
Another case is that of Manuel, who lives in Santa Tecla, on the outskirts of the capital. Every 15 days, the 45-year-old man had to repair the gang cars for free and pay the amount of money they demanded. Double the number at Christmas. If he did not pay, the life of his wife and his children were in danger.
Today he is satisfied that no one has come to claim a disbursement. With this tranquility he has lived since last July. He even expresses the calm that he feels when he goes out for a walk with his children at night, because before, “he didn’t even take them out.”
With EFE and Reuters
