A group of detainees being transferred to a new prison in El Salvador. Photo: Office of the President of El Salvador.
At least 241 people, including two minors, have died in prisons in El Salvador, in the context of a state of emergency that has been in force in the country since March 2022 allegedly to combat gangs. This was reported by Ingrid Escobar, director of the civil society organization Socorro JurĂdico Humanitario (SJH), at a press conference on Wednesday, April 3.
Escobar, who leads the legal aid organization that supports relatives of detainees with free legal assistance, reported that 239 of the detainees who died in custory were adults while two were minors, whose deaths were caused by pneumonia and renal complications.
She held the Salvadoran State as “responsible for these crimes against humanity” and noted that “the State has already been sued before national courts for these crimes.”
Escobar stated that of the total number of cases, 10 will be “taken to international judicial entities” at the request of the victims’ families, if the national courts “do not respond to the families’ call for justice.”
More Than 30 Human Rights Activists Remain Jailed in El Salvador Amid 2 Years of Emergency
She added that “these cases will be brought before the UN rapporteurs and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.”
Included among the Salvadorans who have died in custody since March 2022 are members of social movements and trade unions, and even a former advisor to President Nayib Bukele on security matters, Alejandro Muyshondt, who had been accused of “revealing state secrets.”
According to official figures, 79,184 people were detained during the state of emergency, a measure that has been in place for two years since March 2022.
According to a report by Socorro JurĂdico, about 7,000 detainees have been released on bail and have to appear in court once a month while awaiting preliminary hearings in their trials.
(Ăšltimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
