Article Author:
Associated Press
Marcos Aleman
San Salvador, El Salvador (AP) — 50,000 people have been detained for gang affiliation since late March, and the Salvadoran parliament Approved for 1 month. A long extension of the state of exception that suspends some basic rights in the name of fighting powerful gangs in the country.
Polls show despite criticism from civil rights groups inside and outside El Salvador. , the bill is widely supported. Groups and relatives of those detained say people have been arrested without evidence or due process and have already been incarcerated for months while awaiting trial.
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Legislative Assembly to call for an end to the state of exception ahead of a parliamentary vote late Tuesday.
President Naybu Bukele requested special powers after gangs were accused of his 26 March murders of 62 people. Arrests and access to lawyers are suspended. The government can also intervene in the phone calls and emails of those it deems a suspect. The period during which he can be detained without charge will be extended from 3 days to 15 days for him.
The current term he has set to expire on August 20th.
Usually those arrested en masse appear before a judge, who accuses them of belonging to or being involved in a gang. Evidence is usually not provided. A judge has almost automatically ordered his six-month detention pending trial, giving prosecutors time to establish the case.
Bukele and his cabinet say the move has finally enabled the country to deal with "terrorists." The president has gone from tweeting daily arrest counts to announcing murder-free days. The government is building a large new prison.
The gang, estimated to have about 70,000 members, has long terrorized El Salvador. They controlled parts of the territory, extorted and killed, but without sin.
"We have had a strong influence on terrorist organizations," Security Minister Gustavo Villatro said Wednesday when presenting parliamentarians with a request for an extension. "We witnessed firsthand how Salvadorans were able to enjoy the safest vacation in history," he said, referring to a recent national holiday.
The proposal won the support of his 66 out of 84 MPs.
Outside Congress before the vote, 25-year-old Virginia, her Guadalupe, her Solano, her Lopez, her husband Jose, her Alfredo, her Vega, her March 27, eastern El Salvador said she was relaxing with her daughter at her home in Jiquilisco, California. Without explanation she took him away. She hasn't seen him since.
"He's not a criminal...he has no record. He's not dirty," she said. "Someone accused him of being with a gang, so they took him." , said he had received 500 complaints about arbitrary arrests. El Salvador's human rights ombudsman, Apolonio Toval, said his office had 28 public investigations into the deaths of people who died in custody in exceptional conditions.
But In general, Salvadorans are relieved that the streets are relatively peaceful.
According to the Association of Bus Companies, union member coercion has been reduced by 95%. "It's a break," they said in a statement.