Authorities in El Salvador have arrested 30,506 gang members since President Nayib Bukele began a “war” against these groups at the end of March to contain a wave of homicides, the Police reported Monday.
(Read here: The Government of Nayib Bukele ‘declared war’ on the gangs in March)
“536 terrorists were captured on Sunday, May 15, the date on which 50 days of the emergency regime were completed. Total captures since the war against gangs began is 30,506,” the National Civil Police (PNC) said on Twitter.
Bukele declared “war” on the gangs that operate in his territory, after the murder of 87 people between March 25 and 27crimes that the authorities attribute to the actions of these groups.
Backed by an exceptional regime decreed by Congress on March 27 at the request of Bukele, the security offensive has detained gang members without a court order who, since March 28, have stopped the escalation of homicides.
On April 26, a 30-day extension of the emergency regime came into force, a measure that also restricts freedom of association, the right to defense, extends the term of arrests while investigations are carried out and allows communications to be intercepted.
(You may be interested: Why does the fall of bitcoin have El Salvador in an economic crisis?)
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele offers a press conference at a hotel in San Salvador.
At the request of the president, Congress, controlled by the ruling party, also approved a reform in early April to punish gang members with up to 45 years in prison.
The reform also includes punishing the dissemination of gang messages in the media with up to 15 years in prison.
El Salvador suffers the siege of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18, among others, which add up to 70,000 members, of which with the arrest offensive now a little more than 46,000 are incarcerated.
The emergency regime receives criticism from different humanitarian organizations for the massive detention of young people without due process.
(In other news: El Salvador extends state of emergency due to war against gangs)
The Salvadoran Vice President, Félix Ulloa, justified on May 5 before delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) the right of the State to maintain the offensive against the gangs.
“The Salvadoran State is assisted by Jus ad Bellum to defend the people from the criminal violence of gangs (…). Jus ad Bellum is the branch of humanitarian law that defines the legitimate reasons that a State has to wage war legitimately and fairly,” said Ulloa.
AFP
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