It was presented to the world with a smashing staging as “the largest prison in all America” and one of the most important achievements of his administration. The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, has announced the construction in just seven months of a gigantic prison in a remote area of the country, where the authorities will incarcerate members of the gangs against which the Central American President has unleashed a controversial war, harshly criticized by Human rights organizations who have accused the government of using torture, arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances in its attack on the so-called maras.
The prison bears the eloquent name Terrorism Containment Center and given the staging in which the young president presented it, there is no doubt that it will become a fundamental part of his assault on crime, which has claimed at least 175 lives in 10 months. “El Salvador has managed to go from being the safest country in the world to being the safest country in America,” Bukele wrote, introducing the center on Twitter, his favorite tool for communicating his administration’s accomplishments. “How did we do that? put criminals in jail. it’s space Now yes. Will they be able to issue orders from within? No. Will they be able to escape? No. A work of common sense,” he said.
The video with which the president introduces the new prison is a spectacular production, as are the presentations by Bukele. It begins with a scene shot at night, a general shot showing the route of a caravan of trucks to the prison. Sirens, military vehicles, soldiers surrounding the complex complete the scene leading to the President’s entrance to the complex where he is received by his Secretary of Security, the prison warden and other officials. “Welcome to the Terrorism Confinement Center, a key element in winning the war against the gangs,” says one of the men, who invites Bukele to begin the tour of the vast prison. The center, they explain to the president, was built in a “completely isolated” space on 165 hectares acquired from the government. The complex features huge barracks where the prisoners will be locked up and, according to the official statement, there will be factories where they will be forced to work “because these guys haven’t come to rest, they don’t think they’re going to be in a hotel, Mr. President. May all this work produce something for society and thus compensate a little for the year caused,” says the guide.
The next scene shows dozens of police officers and riot police officers undergoing training maneuvers, moving through the complex and between cells, including isolation or “punishment” areas, as the official directing the president’s tour calls it. “Obviously they must exist, Mr. President,” says the man. “The gunmen who were responsible for killing Salvadoran people will be in a cell like this,” he assures. “Anyone who wants to organize any kind of confrontation within this detention center will also be affected by this type of regime where they will not see sunlight,” the official concludes.
Security forces agents during a demonstration at the premises of the Presidency Center (AFP)
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Bukele has championed prison and his strategy against the gangs. This Wednesday he showed the statistics of the National Police and confirmed that “February ended its first day with 0 murders in El Salvador, the safest country in America”, in his daily report on the alleged progress of his war, increasing personnel, against gangs. “El Salvador ends January 2023 with an annualized rate of less than 2 homicides per 100,000 people. The lowest homicide rate in the Americas,” he had declared.
Bukele implemented a state of emergency 10 months ago that has achieved a historic reduction in homicides. The government has arrested more than 60,000 gang members and lifted the siege on their leaders, but the authorities have committed gross human rights abuses in the process. A report released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) in late January revealed that “abuses were widespread” including extreme overcrowding, violations of due process, lack of guarantees, mass arrests and deaths in custody. “Thousands of people, including hundreds of minors, have been arrested and prosecuted for broad crimes that violate basic due process guarantees and undermine prospects for justice for victims of gang violence.” denounce these abuses and the media, which are accused of siding with the gangs.
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