Amnesty International Canada

 

 

MASSIVE UNJUST DETENTIONS
in El Salvador

 

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Note: Signatures collected on this petition will be delivered to the Government of El Salvador including only your name and city as provided on this form.

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785 people have taken action

                                                                                           Photo: Kellys Portillo/APHOTOGRAFIA/Getty Images

Emergency powers used to roll back human rights

The government of El Salvador’s President Bukele has suspended constitutional guarantees and unjustly put more than 60,000 people behind bars. Tell the President to stop violating human rights.

Salvadoran authorities imposed a state of exception in March 2022, claiming it was necessary to deal with gang violence. Since then, officials continue to have special powers and have committed massive human rights violations, including a staggering number of unjust detentions.

Two cousins, aged 14 and 15, were arrested while playing outside their home in Ilopango. Their families reported that police officers accused the youths of "looking like criminals" and said they would spend 30 years in jail. 

This is no isolated case. People are being detained for having tattoos or for living in marginalized neighborhoods where gangs operate. Detainees have no access to effective legal defense, face torture and ill-treatment, and are held in overcrowded, inhumane conditions. Deaths in custody are increasing every day. Meanwhile, families often do not know where their loved ones were taken or what proceedings they face.

True security in El Salvador requires efforts that tackle the root causes of gang violence, while prioritizing human rights. Your signature can make a difference. President Nayib Bukele needs to know that the world is watching and is horrified by his massive assault on the rights of his people.

Call on El Salvador’s President to stop violating human rights in the name of public security​.

Dear President Bukele,   

I am deeply concerned that your government’s response to gang violence has been to suspend constitutional guarantees for all Salvadorans and unjustly jail tens of thousands of people.

I call on you to:   

• End the state of emergency and cease arbitrary detentions.
• Implement a public security policy that addresses the root causes of gang violence and upholds  human rights.
• Restore the rights of all detainees to legal defence and protection from torture and ill-treatment. Ensure their families can obtain information about where they are being held, their health status and the status of legal proceedings against them.
• Release those who have been illegally jailed. 

Read More​

El Salvador: One year into state of emergency, authorities are systematically committing human rights violations (April 3, 2023)

Eviscerating human rights is not the answer to El Salvador’s gang problem (September 7, 2022)

El Salvador: President Bukele engulfs the country in a human rights crisis after three years in government (June 2,2022)

 
 
 
 

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