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El Salvador moves 2,000 gang members to a new prison that is claimed to be the largest in America. Photos/Metro
SAN SALVADOR – The Savior transferred 2,000 people accused of being gang members to the newly opened “big prison”. The transfers came after the Central American country mounted a wave of anti-gang operations in which police swept more than 64,000 people and suspended key civil liberties.
In a post on Twitter, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele celebrated the arrival of suspected gang members to the prison, which has room for 40,000 people and is said to be the largest in America.
“At dawn, in one operation, we transferred the first 2,000 members to the Terrorism Containment Center (CECOT),” said Bukele.
“This will be their new home, where they will live for decades, all mixed up, unable to harm the residents further,” he continued.
Bukele and his allies passed a controversial “state of exception” last year, suspending key rights such as attorneys’ rights and private communication rights. The declaration also allows police to make arrests without a warrant and without explanation.
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Human rights groups criticized the move, accusing the El Salvador government of empowering itself to act with impunity with little help for those who are unlawfully imprisoned. Dozens of people imprisoned have died during the exceptional circumstances, which have been extended several times.
However, the crackdown received widespread support from El Salvador. Many credit the move with curbing criminal gangs that have waged a campaign of violence and exploitation across the region for decades.
In a February article, the Salvador El Faro newspaper, which has reported on alleged abuses during the exceptional circumstances, said the government had dealt the criminal gangs a serious blow, even while questioning how long the changes would last.
“Critics of the exclusion state acknowledge, with nuance, that it has delivered real results for citizens,” the article read.
