UN concerned about appalling prison conditions in El Salvador

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The United Nations has expressed concern about the situation of detainees in El Salvador. In the first year since a state of emergency was declared to combat criminal gangs, 90 people have died in custody in the Central American country, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokeswoman Martha Hurtado said in Geneva on Tuesday. There are also reports of prolonged solitary confinement, overcrowded facilities and mistreatment of arrested suspects.

hard-handed politics

According to the government, as of March 27, 2022, 66,000 people have been arrested on suspicion of gang membership in the fight against youth gangs. The UN denounced under-investigations and arbitrary arrests based solely on appearances. The rights of the suspects should be granted under international human rights law, Hurtado said. The state also has a duty to protect the lives of prisoners. The principles of due process, including the presumption of innocence, apply at all times, even in a state of emergency, it said.

In the country of six million inhabitants, the tough policy of President Nayib Bukele (41) has been well received by the population because the gangs have set up a terror regime in many places. El Salvador was once the most dangerous country in the world. With the state of emergency, the number of murders has dropped significantly. According to the government, there were a total of 495 deaths last year, a historic low. The year before there were more than twice as many. (SDA)

Source: Blick