El Salvador moves thousands of suspected gang members to new 'megaprison' in controversial crackdown on crime


(MENAFN) El Salvador has taken a controversial step in its crackdown on crime by transferring thousands of suspected gang members to a newly built "megaprison." President Nayib Bukele announced the move on Twitter, stating that the new facility, the terrorism Confinement Centre (Cecot), with a capacity of 40,000, would be their "new home, where they won't be able to do any more harm to the population." On Friday, around 2,000 accused gang members were moved to the Cecot, which is considered the largest prison in the Americas.

In a video posted by Bukele, prisoners, many of whom bear gang tattoos, are seen stripped down to white shorts with their heads shaved, running through the new prison and into cells. The transfer is the latest step in the government's controversial crackdown on crime, which has caused El Salvador's prison population to soar.

Last year, Bukele asked his allies in the country's congress to pass a state of exception, which has since been extended several times, suspending some constitutional rights, after a dramatic increase in murders attributed to violent gangs. Since then, more than 64,000 suspects have been arrested in the anti-crime dragnet. Arrests can be made without a warrant, private communications are accessible by the administration, as well as detainees no longer have the right to a lawyer.

Human rights organizations have criticized the government's policy, arguing that innocent people have been caught up in the crackdown, including dozens who have died in police custody. However, Bukele's anti-gang campaign remains popular with Salvadorans, and the country's security minister has indicated that it will continue until all criminals are captured.

The action to the Cecot has raised concerns among human rights advocates, who fear that conditions in the new prison could violate detainees' human rights. According to a United Nations report, prisons in El Salvador are overcrowded and plagued by violence, with allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees.

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