SAN SALVADOR – The Salvadoran Congress approved on Thursday a new extension of the emergency regime that came into force more than two years ago as one of the pillars of the government of Nayib Bukele in its tough policy to fight gangs.
The new extension was approved with the votes of 57 of the 60 deputies of the new Congress and will remain in force until June 11, 2024.
Since the state of emergency has been in force in El Salvador, 79,947 people who the authorities classify as terrorists have been detained and in more than 90% of the cases remain in prison without a judicial sentence against them, according to the data update presented by government. The government has acknowledged that it has had to release some 7,000 detainees due to lack of evidence against them.
The Ministry of Security assured in its petition to Congress that the risk posed by gangs remains in El Salvador and considered it necessary to continue the measure until the last of the gang members is in jail.
“Validity of exception”
In the request made by the Security Cabinet, it was indicated that in the Bukele government there have been 608 days without violent deaths and that, during the validity of the exception, there have been 497 days without homicides.
Under this regime, security forces can intervene in telecommunications without a court order and detention without a court hearing is prolonged from 72 hours to 15 days.
As part of the strategy to combat gangs, Congress also approved reforms to the Penal Code last year to make membership in gangs a crime, which carries penalties of 20 to 40 years in prison. Ringleaders can receive sentences of up to 60 years.
According to the government, with the extraordinary measures, violence in El Salvador has decreased considerably since 2015, when more than 6,665 homicides were recorded and the country was considered one of the most dangerous in the world. In 2023, the year closed with 214 murders, including 38 deaths of alleged gang members in alleged confrontations with police and armed forces.
So far in 2024, there have been 45 homicides, according to official data.
Source: AP
