El Salvador - May 2023

Local CSO Cristosal issued a report this month on the first year of El Salvador’s state of emergency to address violence from gangs. The report details the widespread use of torture against persons deprived of their liberty and documents the deaths of 153 people in custody, all of whom were held in pretrial detention. Numerous cases of suspicious deaths from immersive asphyxiation and strangulation are also detailed. The report documents physical evidence and interviews with detainees, and echoes previous criticism leveled by international non-governmental organizations such as Human Rights Watch against president Bukele’s strategy to counter gang violence.  

Sources:  Cristosal, Los Angeles Times, Infobae, Human Rights Watch