the police of The Savior has arrested 55,062 people in the framework of a “war” against gangs promoted by the president Nayib Bukele since March, under an exceptional regime, the authorities reported this Friday.
“They are more than 55,000 captures (of alleged gang members),” declared the Minister of Justice and Security, Gustavo Villatoro, when presenting himself to the Legislative Assembly (Congress) to request the seventh extension of the exceptional regime.
Police statistics show that the “war against the gangs” has accumulated 55,062 detainees.
The exceptional regime that allows arrests without a court order was established in response to a homicidal escalation that claimed the lives of 87 people from March 25 to 27.
“We are winning this war and we are going to continue day by day deploying thousands of police and army personnel to continue capturing those terrorists (gang members),” Villatoro emphasized.
The measure is questioned by different humanitarian organizations for violating people’s rights.
The Legislative Assembly must approve this Friday the extension to maintain the state of emergency until the end of November.
Villatoro arrived at Congress accompanied by the Minister of Defense, René Francis Merino, and the director of the National Civil Police, Mauricio Arriaza.
“We will continue in this effort Until the last gang member is behind barsMerino assured.
In the almost seven months of the emergency regime, the authorities have managed to seize 1,644 firearms, 2,026 vehicles, 12,842 cell phones and $1.2 millionhighlighted Villatoro
The Directorate of Penal Centers is building a gigantic prison to house 40,000 gang members in a rural area of Tecoluca, in the center of the country, which should be operational before the end of the year.
Most of the detainees belong to the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the Barrio 18.
Before March, there were 16,000 incarcerated gang members in El Salvador’s prisons.
