The Cost of Control

"President Nayib Bukele introduced a state of emergency in El Salvador, using it to dismantle the violent gangs that had terrorised the Central American country for decades. Thousands of alleged gang members have been rounded up and locked away, many of them in CECOT, a huge, purpose-built high-security prison. The streets are now safe, but at what cost? Government forces are accused of arbitrarily detaining innocent people without trial or even charge, and in some cases, of violence and torture."

"With rare access to El Salvador's most secure prisons, we explore the dark side of President Bukele's gang crackdown. People & Power gained rare access to two of El Salvador's maximum-security prisons, looking behind the scenes of Bukele's bid to bust the gangs."

President Nayib Bukele imposed a state of emergency and used it to dismantle violent gangs that terrorised El Salvador for decades. Thousands of alleged gang members were rounded up and imprisoned, many in CECOT, a large purpose-built maximum-security facility. The crackdown produced markedly safer streets. Security forces face accusations of arbitrarily detaining innocent people without trial or charge, and of committing violence and torture in some cases. Observers obtained rare access to two maximum-security prisons and documented conditions and procedures used in the government's bid to suppress gang activity.

Read at www.aljazeera.com