Nayib Bukele’s Gang Crackdown Fueled by Human Rights Abuses, Corruption in Salvadoran Prisons

For decades, the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, positioned itself as one of the most feared and powerful gangs in Latin America, wielding significant influence in El Salvador. When Nayib Bukele took office in 2019, his administration launched a tough campaign targeting the country’s criminal organizations. Following a surge of gang-related killings in March 2022, Bukele declared a state of emergency, giving law enforcement expanded authority to detain suspected gang members and their allies.

Since then, the country’s homicide rate has dropped dramatically, tens of thousands have been arrested, and the grip of gangs like MS-13 has been considerably weakened. However, a recent report highlights that these gains have come at a high price: extensive human rights abuses including arbitrary detentions, violations of due process, reports of torture and mistreatment, and deaths in custody. The report also reveals a troubling system where corrupt officials exploit families of detainees for profit through extortion.

A report by Cristosal, a Salvadoran human rights group cited by the Miami Herald, argues that rather than reforming the justice system, Bukele’s administration has repurposed it into what the group describes as “a machine of repression and profit.” Drawing from hundreds of interviews, verified testimonies, forensic evidence, and internal data, Cristosal details how officials now demand bribes from relatives in exchange for information, visitation rights, or improved detention conditions.

El Salvador’s prison system, once meant to rehabilitate inmates, has instead become a space marked by abuse, corruption and exploitation, said Noah Bullock, executive director of Cristosal, in an interview with the Herald.

“These dynamics of mass detention, intentional denial of basic needs of people in prisons, and the secrecy of the prisons themselves are creating conditions that are permissive for corruption,” Bullock said.

Since the 2022 state of emergency was enacted, nearly 90,000 people have been detained nationwide, pushing El Salvador’s incarceration rate to the highest in the world. According to the World Prison Brief, as of March 2024, the country imprisons 1,659 people per 100,000 residents, more than double Cuba’s rate of 794, the second highest globally.

With so many people incarcerated, prisons in El Salvador have become a lucrative enterprise for officials.

Cristosal’s report details how families of detainees are coerced into making “donations” of office supplies, construction materials, or medicine simply to be allowed visits. In one documented case, a woman reportedly paid $8,000 just to see her husband.

“This widespread violation of rights has fostered an environment where prison officials exploit families for bribes and donations,” Bullock said.

The report also highlights lawyers participating in corruption, charging families as much as $7,000 for promises of early release or transfers to different prison sections.

“The desperation of families to keep their loved ones alive and maintain contact has opened the door to systemic extortion,” Bullock said, adding that these cases represent just “a small example of how the criminality of the gangs has been replaced by the criminality of an autocratic state.”

The report detailed ongoing abuses suffered by detainees inside Salvadoran prisons. According to Cristosal, prisoners are routinely denied basic necessities such as food, medicine, and clothing. Many also reported prolonged solitary confinement lasting months or even years, along with physical abuse by guards.

Since the state of exception began, hundreds have died in custody. Research and rule of law groups confirmed 265 deaths between March 2022 and April 2024. By July, that number rose to 367 confirmed deaths, with 44 additional cases still under investigation.

Many of those who died suffered from untreated medical conditions such as kidney failure caused by dehydration or internal injuries from abuse.

Cristosal described systemic patterns of torture and mistreatment. Bullock told the Herald that new detainees are often beaten upon arrival and sometimes forced to kneel for hours on hot gravel as punishment. Those who collapse or plead for relief frequently face further violence. Prisoners who advocate for others, especially the ill, are often retaliated against by guards.