Authorities in El Salvador have committed “systematic” human rights abuses since launching a nationwide state of emergency last year to tackle gang violence, including torture and enforced disappearances, Amnesty International said. The rights group said on Monday that the Salvadoran government’s “state of exception”—first declared in March 2022 by President Nayib Bukele and periodically renewed since then—also has resulted in widespread violations of due process.
Under the state of emergency, which was put in place after a deadly weekend of gang violence in the Central American nation, the government suspended certain civil liberties, including the right to a lawyer and the right to gather. More than 66,000 people have been detained under the policy, and some Salvadoran families say their loved ones have been rounded up despite not being affiliated with gangs.
Rights groups and observers also have cautioned that the state of exception is eroding democracy and civil rights in El Salvador for a plan that may amount to a quick fix rather than a long-term solution to crime and gang activity. In March, El Salvador extended the state of exception for the 12th time, giving the government wide discretion to make arrests, access private communications, and strip Salvadorans of their right to a lawyer.
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