El Salvador's mass arrest policy may have led to crimes against humanity, study shows

"By locking up 1.4% of the population without due process, Bukele turned El Salvador from one of Latin America's most violent countries into one of its least violent but at the cost of human rights and the rule of law. The report, compiled by an international group of experts assembled by the Due Process of Law Foundation, documents the arbitrary imprisonment, torture, murder and forced disappearances that have taken place under the state of exception."

"Given these widespread and systematic attacks on the civilian population, the authors conclude there are reasonable grounds to believe that crimes against humanity are being committed, urging the United Nations to create an international mission to investigate. The state must protect citizens from organised crime but with the law, and with respect for human rights."

"El Salvador has been in a state of exception since 2022, when Bukele suspended constitutional rights and unleashed security forces to take on MS-13 and Barrio 18, the gangs that brutalised Salvadorian society for decades. Roughly 90,000 people have been arrested since. Most are being held in pre-trial detention, in grim conditions. Human rights organisations believe thousands without any ties to gangs have been swept up."

El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele implemented a state of exception in 2022 that suspended constitutional rights and arrested approximately 90,000 people, reducing the country's violence rates significantly. However, legal experts report widespread systematic violations including arbitrary imprisonment, torture, murder, and forced disappearances. The Due Process of Law Foundation compiled evidence documenting these abuses as deliberate government policy. Most detainees remain in pre-trial detention under harsh conditions, with thousands having no gang affiliations. Over 400 deaths in custody have been documented. The report concludes reasonable grounds exist for crimes against humanity charges and calls for UN investigation.

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