Interview, Panel, Fireside Chat, Conference Presentation
Inside El Salvador’s war on crime
- El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has initiated a nationwide crackdown resulting in the imprisonment of approximately 70,000 individuals, with 2,000 currently held in a maximum security facility without fair trials.
- The imprisonment campaign targets young men based on circumstantial evidence, including vague indicators such as tattoos or anonymous tips, rather than proven criminal activity.
- This strategy has detained a population equivalent to 7% of El Salvador's young male demographic, effectively isolating them from society.
- Bukele maintains approval ratings between 80% and 90%, despite the crackdown, as the policy has shifted the balance of fear in neighborhoods previously dominated by gang intimidation.
- Families of the detained face significant risks; over 70,000 are held on flimsy evidence, and relatives often avoid public visibility to prevent becoming targets of further detention.
- Gustavo Villatoro, the Minister for Justice and Internal Security, stated that trials for 63,000 detainees are proceeding but projected an additional 24 months to complete the process.
- The government is conducting these trials in group formats rather than individual hearings, a method criticized for bypassing standard due process.
- Bukele's administration has dismantled key democratic checks and balances, including purging the judiciary of dissenting judges and gerrymandering parliament to consolidate party control.
- A new law imposes jail sentences of 10 to 15 years for media reports deemed to cause anxiety or amplify gang messages, effectively gagging press coverage.
- Villatoro defended the government's approach by stating, "We don't work for a human rights organisation, we work for Salvadorian citizens," explicitly prioritizing security over human rights protocols.
- While the crackdown has ended the gangs' ability to extort shopkeepers and demand protection money, analysts warn that Salvadorians may eventually trade fear of gang violence for fear of a police state.
- Bukele's administration presents a "playbook" for how to erode democratic institutions while maintaining high levels of public popularity through the delivery of perceived safety.