"On March 25, 2022, hundreds of cellphones in El Salvador glowed with the same text message: Adelante (go ahead). The gangsters of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) went on a rampage, gunning down 62 people across the nation, marking the bloodiest day since the 1980s civil war."
"Bukele's response was swift. Parliament granted his request for a state of emergency, suspending all constitutional rights. Suspected gang members, including children, were detained indefinitely, leading to over 10,000 alleged gang affiliates rounded up in just over two weeks."
"By 2026, 1.9 percent of the population was held in confinement, prompting serious concern about human rights violations. A legal study indicated that the mass arrests may have led to crimes against humanity, with thousands of innocent civilians caught in the dragnet."
"Despite the crackdown's severity, an opinion poll in January showed Bukele's approval rating at 92 percent, as many Salvadorans supported his measures that transformed the country from having the highest murder rate in the Western Hemisphere."
In March 2022, El Salvador experienced a violent gang rampage resulting in 87 deaths. President Nayib Bukele responded with a state of emergency, suspending constitutional rights and detaining over 10,000 alleged gang members. By 2026, the country had the highest imprisonment rate globally, raising human rights violation concerns. Despite this, Bukele's approval rating soared to 92 percent as many Salvadorans supported his measures, which transformed the nation from having the highest murder rate in the Western Hemisphere to a more stable environment.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]