In El Salvador, human rights advocates are condemning the transfer of some 2,000 suspected gang members to a newly opened mega-prison as part of an ongoing crackdown by President Nayib Bukele.
Earlier, Bukele shared images of prisoners wearing nothing but white shorts being rushed into the prison, then sitting in rows with their heads down. The so-called terrorism confinement center has a capacity of 40,000 and is now considered to be the largest prison in the Americas.
Bukele’s government has been enforcing a state of exception since last March, suspending several constitutional protections and leading to the arbitrary arrest of an estimated 64,000 people — many without any ties to gangs or access to due process. Human rights groups say at least 80 people have died in police custody.
