• Live
    • Audio Only
  • google plus
  • facebook
  • twitter
News > El Salvador

El Salvador to Speed Up Construction of Prisons

  • Salvatrucha & Barrio 18 gang members in Izalco prison, El Salvador, April, 2022.

    Salvatrucha & Barrio 18 gang members in Izalco prison, El Salvador, April, 2022. | Photo: EFE

Published 21 April 2022
Opinion

President Bukele unleashed a "war" against gangs, which has left 14,068 detainees in less than the last 25 days.

On Tuesday, the Salvadoran Congress approved a law to speed up the construction of new prisons and thus be able to solve the problem of overcrowding in the country's prison system.

RELATED:

Arbitrary Detentions Go Unchecked in El Salvador

In response to the wave of murders that occurred in March, President Nayib Bukele unleashed a "war" against criminal gangs, which has left 14,068 detainees in less than the last 25 days, according to figures from the National Civil Police (PNC).

In the last 24 hours alone, the military and police arrested 495 people, accusing them of belonging to organized criminal groups. Carried out amid the "exception regime," these operations have taken place in towns such as Ilopango, Soyapango, San Martin, and La Palma.

Those arrested were detained for being gunmen, collaborators or members of gangs such as the "Mara Salvatrucha" (MS-13) or Barrio 18, some of which operate transnationally.

The "Special Law for the Construction of Penitentiaries" enables the Public Works Ministry to associate with private companies, make purchases without bidding, and expropriate real estate to plan, design, and build prisons.

On Wednesday, Christian Guevara, the head of the parliamentary caucus of the "New Ideas" party, assured that the State has not yet defined where the prisons will be built.

However, this lawmaker assured that the new prisons will be built far from urban centers. For this, Guevara suggested that the Salvadoran State use the assets seized by the National Council for the Administration of Assets (CONAB) from criminals.

Comment
0
Comments
Post with no comments.