El Salvador: Police Officers Speak Out About Abuses
Arbitrary Detention Based on Quotas, Fabricated Evidence

Since taking office, the administration of President Nayib Bukele has launched an assault on democratic institutions, including by summarily replacing the attorney general and all the judges in the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber.
In March 2022, pro-Bukele lawmakers adopted a state of emergency, suspending a range of constitutional rights in response to a peak in gang violence. Security forces arrested tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of children, and committed widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture and other ill-treatment of detainees.
Dozens have died in prison. At the same time, authorities report a significant decrease in gang violence, including a drop in homicides. Severe restrictions on access to abortion, harassment and arbitrary criminal proceedings against journalists and civil society organizations, and poor accountability for human rights violations remain serious concerns.
Arbitrary Detention Based on Quotas, Fabricated Evidence
Human Rights Abuses Against Children Under El Salvador’s “State of Emergency”
Widespread Human Rights Violations Under El Salvador’s “State of Emergency”
HRW Oral Statement - Universal Periodic Review Outcome Adoption - HRC59
Crackdown Against Civil Society Groups
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