El Salvador: At least 90 people died in custody in campaign against gangs, says the UN

Up to ninety people have been able to die in custody since the declaration of a state of emergency in The Savior to fight the gangs, said today the Office of the UN for the Human rightswho stressed that many of the detentions have been arbitrary.

READ ALSO: Amnesty International denounces impunity in institutional and gender violence in Argentina

“In the last year 65,000 people have been arrestedand some of those arrests, including children, could be considered arbitrary detentions, since they rest on investigations with little basis, or merely on the physical appearance or social context of the detainees.”said the spokeswoman for the office Martha Hurtado.

Regarding the presumed deceased, the spokeswoman described in a press conference as “particularly worrisome” that “There is very limited information about the investigations into those deaths.”

The measures taken by the Salvadoran authorities since the beginning of the state of emergency (March 27, 2022), which has been periodically renewed, “cause significant concerns in terms of human rights”summarized the spokeswoman.

“We understand the significant challenges that gang violence causes, and the duty of the State to guarantee the security, but it is also an obligation for the latter to do so in accordance with international law on matters of human rights”said the spokeswoman for the office headed by High Commissioner Volker Türk.

Hurtado also expressed the office’s concern about the conditions of the detainees, normally in overcrowded facilities where serious violations have been reported. “as prolonged solitary confinementor cases of inmates with chronic illnesses who do not receive medication, as well as other forms of mistreatment.”

LOOK HERE: “The accusations against Russia of the alleged ‘annexation’ of children are unfounded”

The spokesperson recalled that the Ombudsman for the Defense of Human Rights of El Salvador (PDDH) has received more than 7,900 complaints of human rights violations against those detainees, and requested that this institution have unrestricted access to all prisons “to be able to carry out regular and independent reports on conditions of detention.”

“We ask the authorities of The Savior to make sure that people are not arrested without sufficient legal authorization, and that detainees are provided with all the fundamental safeguards that international human rights standards require.” stressed.

He also warned that “an excessively repressive prison model reduces the opportunities for social reinsertion of detainees”.

He concluded by pointing out that in order to seek sustainable solutions to insecurity and crime “The roots of gang violence, such as social inequality, marginalization or the lack of effective social policies, must be faced.”

The anti-gang campaign launched by the president Nayib Bukele It was recently defended before the UN by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, Alexandra Hill, who assured the Human Rights Council that it has made the country “the safest in Latin America.”

“Many voices without knowledge or foundation have spoken out against this immense effort by the country, but the best indicator that we are on the right track are the millions of Salvadorans who approve the Executive’s measures”he assured in his speech on March 2.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.