El Salvador probably also imprisoned many innocent people in the Giga Prison

The photos went around the world: at the end of February, El Salvador locked some 2,000 prisoners in a newly opened prison near the town of Tecoluca. The action was captured in a lavishly staged video that President Nayib Bukele then personally posted on Twitter.

Bukele has declared a state of emergency in El Salvador since March 2022 after gang violence led to a spike in violence and homicides in the country. At the time, nearly 90 murders took place in one weekend.

Thanks to the state of emergency, the Salvadoran police authorities were able to quickly arrest and detain without trial any person who appeared suspicious in any way. Some 65,000 people have been imprisoned since the start of the major offensive.

Although the majority of the population supports the rigorous and rule of law procedure that is at least questionable, there are now protests. Because: during the arrests, at least according to the feelings of the demonstrators, innocent people were also locked up together with the gang members. Hundreds of people protested in the capital San Salvador on Tuesday demanding the release of friends, relatives and relatives, Reuters reports

For example, the 56-year-old housewife Maria Ruiz protests with a sign that is directly addressed to President Bukele. She tells Reuters:

Her husband Manuel Argumedo was arrested in her home last year by masked police officers. But he’s not a gang member, has no tattoos and no criminal record.

Another protester holds up pictures of her imprisoned sons and calls for their release. We demand justice and the freedom of our children. She also insists that her sons had no connection to the criminal gangs.

According to the non-profit organization Cristosal, less than 30 percent of those arrested are actually gang members, spokeswoman Zaira Navas told the newspaper El Faro.

El Salvador has long been considered the most dangerous country in the world due to its high murder rate. Rigorous action by the Bukele government has caused the rate to fall in the recent past. However, human rights organizations in particular have criticized the government’s actions because fundamental rights are being curtailed. There are also criticisms of President Bukele, who according to him is governing the country in an increasingly authoritarian way.