IDHUCA Documents 569 Human Rights Violations in El Salvador
The Human Rights Institute of the Central American University (Idhuca) recorded 569 human rights violations in El Salvador and identified the security forces as the main perpetrators in the context of the state of emergency.
The Idhuca warned that arbitrary arrests in El Salvador mostly affect young people between the ages of 18 and 35. Photo EFE
June 8, 2026 Hour: 3:19 pm
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The Human Rights Institute of the Central American University (Idhuca) documented 569 cases of human rights violations in El Salvador in 2025, according to a report published this Monday. The document details that these situations affect 645 victims, with arbitrary detentions being the most frequently reported irregularities.
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The report identifies the National Civil Police and the Armed Forces as the institutions most frequently denounced for these irregularities. More than half of the cases were registered after the implementation of the state of emergency in 2022, a measure that suspends constitutional guarantees such as the right to defense. In this regard, Idhuca concludes that a pattern of deprivation of liberty accompanied by multiple human rights violations has become established among those in state custody.
Regarding the profile of those affected, the majority are young men, with 577 male victims, 67 women, and one transgender woman. 73% of those affected are between 18 and 35 years old, a figure that, according to the organization, demonstrates that young people are the most affected group.
Furthermore, 582 people indicated that many of them reported not having had basic judicial guarantees or adequate access to legal defense.
The text reads, “This is the other side of El Salvador’s security model. No justice system in the world is perfect, but when prison authorities disobey a court order for release, the system isn’t “imperfect,” it’s broken.”
The organization warns that the State has become primarily responsible for the reported abuses. These 2025 figures add to more than 6,400 complaints accumulated since the beginning of the state of emergency, in addition to more than 500 people who have died in state custody, according to data from various NGOs.
The Idhuca also warns of the erosion of fundamental rights, as well as the impact these dynamics have on historically vulnerable populations.
The report warns that the negative impacts continue to deepen within the context of the state of emergency, the concentration of power, and limitations on access to public information.
Author: HGV/JF
Source: @Idhuca
