El Salvador says murders fell 70 per cent in 2023 as it cracked down on gangs
San SalvadorReuters The number of homicides in El Salvador dropped nearly 70 per cent during 2023, the Central American country’s security authorities said on Wednesday, crediting a prolonged state of emergency declared by the government of President Nayib Bukele to fight crime gangs. A police officer stands guard at a protest to demand help for […]
El Salvador experiencing “alarming regression” on human rights – report
San Salvador, El SalvadorReuters El Salvador has seen “an alarming regression” of human rights protections during President Nayib Bukele’s government, a trend that has intensified under a sweeping anti-gang crackdown, Amnesty International said in a report published on Tuesday. Bukele has enjoyed widespread popularity since taking office in 2019, due in part to a state […]
El Salvador electoral tribunal green lights Bukele’s re-election bid
San Salvador, El SalvadorReuters El Salvador’s electoral tribunal on Friday approved President Nayib Bukele’s candidacy in next year’s presidential election, where he will seek a second term that would keep him in office until 2029 if reelected. The decision comes a week after the 42-year-old President formally filed paperwork to run for re-election, despite concerns […]
El Salvador lawmakers repeal media crackdown, declare “war on gangs won”
San SalvadorReuters El Salvador’s Congress repealed a law on Wednesday that criminalised the publication of gang messages, as ruling party leaders declared victory in their war against criminal groups. President Nayib Bukele launched a sweeping crackdown on the small Central American nation’s hyper-violent gangs early last year, sharply reducing crime rates while the incarceration skyrocketed, […]
El Salvador declares state of emergency over coming tropical storm Pilar
San Salvador, El SalvadorReuters El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency on Sunday over tropical storm Pilar, which the US National Hurricane Center says is expected to dump heavy rains and cause floods along the coast within the next 48 hours. The government issued a “red” alert, the highest of a four-level […]
Relatives of jailed Salvadorans say “mass trials” unconstitutional
San Salvador, El Salvador Reuters Dozens of relatives of prisoners jailed in El Salvador during a state of emergency called on Thursday on the Supreme Court to rule unconstitutional upcoming “mass trials” of suspected gang members. El Salvador’s Congress, controlled by President Nayib Bukele’s ruling party, approved special emergency provisions in July that allow people […]
Snapshot: Looking across Los Planes de Renderos, El Salvador
See OSWALDO MARTINEZ’s image…
El Salvador police report says crackdown leaves 43,000 tied to gangs still free
San Salvador, El SalvadorReuters A confidential intelligence document from El Salvador’s National Civil Police shows that after a year and a half of a gang crackdown, police believe nearly 43,000 people allegedly connected to gangs have yet to be detained. The 19-page document, first reported by InSight Crime and independently obtained by Reuters and confirmed […]
El Salvador, US agree to bring back Peace Corps after hiatus
San Salvador, El Salvador Reuters The governments of El Salvador and the United States will revive the Peace Corps program in the Central American country, after the US agency concluded that security conditions have improved following a seven-year freeze blamed on deadly gang violence. The Peace Corps, a popular US volunteer abroad program dating back […]
El Salvador: Controversial gang crackdown stamps out extortion
ANASTASIA MOLONEY and NELSON RENTERIA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report that while Salvadorans have welcomed a lull in the extortion and violence that have plagued them for years, rights groups continue to warn about abuses…