At least 512 people have died while detained under the state of emergency implemented by President Nayib Bukele since March 2022, according to the NGO Socorro Jurídico Humanitario (SJH), which is demanding that the government grant freedom, justice, and reparations for thousands of innocent people unjustifiably held.

The organization has accused El Salvador of committing crimes against humanity as defined under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

In a statement posted on social media, SJH cited murder, imprisonment or severe deprivation of liberty in violation of international law, torture, political persecution, enforced disappearance, and the forced transfer of populations — specifically referring to Venezuelans sent to the CECOT mega-prison.

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The deaths have occurred mainly in facilities holding the majority of more than 90,000 detainees swept up under the emergency decree, most of whom have not been convicted. SJH highlighted that 94 percent of the deceased showed no gang profile, underscoring the detention of innocent individuals.

The NGO warned that the actual number of deaths in state custody could exceed 2,000. Physical violence is the leading cause of death among prisoners, accounting for approximately 32 percent of reported cases. According to the organization’s data, 31.8 percent of deaths were classified as “violent deaths,” while 31.6 percent resulted from “lack of medical care due to illnesses.”

SJH explicitly held Salvadoran authorities responsible for the deaths. “There is a chain of those responsible: from the president down to every official who denied medical care and allowed aggravated homicides,” the organization stated.

“These faces belong to innocent people, deprived of a fair trial. Even if they lie saying it is ‘normal,’ it is not. We demand justice and reparations. Correct, investigate, and provide reparations to the victims.”

Several human rights organizations have registered at least 6,889 complaints of human rights violations since the state of exception began. In 98 percent of the cases, victims reported arbitrary detention, and 75 percent pointed to police officers as responsible.

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