El Salvador surpasses 26,200 arrests under emergency regime

The authorities of El Salvador exceeded 26,200 arrests of alleged gang members under the emergency regime approved by Congress at the end of March, according to the National Civil Police (PNC) on Sunday (08.05.2022).
“With the 501 terrorists (gang members) captured on Saturday, May 7, we have surpassed 26,000 arrests since the war against gangs began,” he posted to the institution on his social networks. With Saturday’s arrests, according to the PNC, the total number reached 26,291, while the security body has indicated that the arrests continued over the weekend.

With the 501 terrorists captured on Saturday, May 7, we have surpassed 26,000 arrests since the #GuerraContraPandillas began.
The total catch is 26,291.
We’re not going to back down. pic.twitter.com/faHA3HVOyz
— PNC El Salvador (@PNCSV) May 8, 2022

Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro reported on Twitter about the arrest of Boris Cienfuegos, an alleged gang member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) and “international drug trafficker.”

We captured Boris Dustin Cienfuegos, alias Lonely, an MS13 gang member and international drug trafficker.
This terrorist was one of the most wanted in the west of the country, his arrest was in a luxurious house in the South Step Residential of Santa Ana. pic.twitter.com/YH9chbEoTM
— Gustavo Villatoro 🇸🇻 (@Vi11atoro) May 8, 2022

“Cienfuegos had control of the drugs, vehicles and properties of the Hollywood Locos Salvatruchos clique (cell), he was also in charge of drug contacts and businesses, so he traveled constantly to the United States,” Villatoro said.
The government of Nayib Bukele asked Congress for an emergency regime after an escalation of murders that claimed the lives of 87 people. The legislative body, with a pro-government majority, gave the go-ahead and at the end of April approved a 30-day extension of the suspension of constitutional guarantees.
These special powers given to the Bukele Executive suspend the rights to organization, assembly, inviolability of correspondence and telecommunications, defense and extend administrative detention up to a maximum of 15 days.
In this context, five humanitarian organizations have received at least 338 complaints of human rights violations during the first month under the emergency regime. The organizations indicated last week in a press release that “they are mostly cases of arbitrary detentions by the National Civil Police.”

#Comunicado | Social organizations received a total of 338 complaints of human rights violations in the first month of implementation of the emergency regime throughout the national territory. 🧐🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/qPsnOyKly7
— Cristosal (@Cristosal) May 4, 2022

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Original source in Spanish