By Zoila Palma: El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has announced a plan that could allow the conditional early release of up to half of those detained under the country’s state of emergency, which has led to more than 90,000 arrests over the past four and a half years.
Announced Tuesday night, the proposal would focus on individuals considered collaborators of criminal gangs, including gang lookouts and people who made extortion payments.
Bukele said authorities would review cases to determine who qualifies for early release under monitoring, Fox reports.
El Salvador declared a state of emergency in March 2022 following a surge in gang-related violence that left more than 60 people dead in a single day.
The measure has been repeatedly extended and has coincided with a significant decline in the country’s homicide rate, while restricting certain constitutional protections, including access to legal counsel and information about the reasons for detention.
However, human rights organizations have raised concerns over alleged arbitrary arrests and deaths in government custody.
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