President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has announced the transfer of more than 2,000 gang members from different prisons across the country to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (Cecot), a mega-prison that symbolizes the government's fight against gangs. The transfer was carried out under tight security measures by the police and guards of the General Directorate of Penal Centers. Cecot, which was inaugurated in 2022, has a capacity for 40,000 inmates and is considered the largest prison in America. The gang members were transferred from the prisons of Izalco, Ciudad Barrios, and San Vicente to Cecot. President Bukele emphasized that the gang members will have no communication with the outside world and will not be able to order crimes from prison. Cecot, located in Tecoluca, 74 km southeast of San Salvador, is surrounded by seven security rings, including an 11-meter-high concrete wall with electrified wires [4f30f110].
This transfer comes as part of the government's response to an escalation of gang violence in El Salvador. The state of exception, which has been in effect since March 2022, has led to the detention of over 80,000 alleged gang members. The government aims to crack down on gang activity and ensure that the gang members are held accountable for their crimes. However, human rights organizations have raised concerns about the conditions in which these detainees are held and the potential for human rights violations. The transfer to Cecot raises further questions about the treatment and rehabilitation of gang members in El Salvador's prison system [4f30f110] [1ac8e714].
The transfer of gang members to Cecot is part of a broader effort by the government to address gang violence in El Salvador. President Bukele has taken a hardline approach to tackling gangs, declaring a 'war on gangs' and implementing measures such as the state of exception and the militarization of certain municipalities. While these measures have resulted in the arrest and detention of thousands of alleged gang members, they have also raised concerns about human rights violations and the potential for further violence. Critics argue that a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of gang violence, such as poverty and inequality, is necessary to achieve long-term solutions [4f30f110] [02321dc7].
The transfer of gang members to Cecot also highlights the overcrowding and dire conditions in El Salvador's prison system. Humanitarian Legal Relief has documented over 200 deaths of detainees in state custody since the start of President Bukele's 'war on gangs' two years ago. The organization has received reports of torture, lack of medical attention, and arbitrary detentions in the country's prisons. The transfer of gang members to Cecot raises concerns about the capacity of the prison system to effectively rehabilitate and reintegrate these individuals into society [4f30f110] [1ac8e714].
Meanwhile, in neighboring Honduras, President Xiomara Castro has announced plans to construct a 20,000-capacity 'megaprison' as part of a series of measures to tackle organized crime. The 'plan of solutions against crime' includes 'terrorist' designations for gang members, collective trials, and the deployment of armed forces and police to areas with high incidences of gang crimes. The construction of the 'Emergency Reclusion Centre' will significantly expand Honduras's current prison capacity. The authorities will also launch operations to locate and destroy drug plantations and processing centers. These measures are similar to those implemented in El Salvador, which declared a state of emergency in December 2022 to crack down on rising crime attributed to gangs. However, Amnesty International has criticized the heavy-handed security measures, stating that they have led to an increase in abuses and deaths [7cdc5570].
President Castro announced the creation of the prison as part of the government's larger crackdown on gang violence and efforts to overhaul its troubled prison system. The prison will be located near the rural province of Olancho. The Honduran prison population is currently at 19,500 inmates, exceeding the system's capacity of 13,000. The government has also announced plans to construct an island prison colony on the Islas del Cisne archipelago. The measures taken by President Castro mirror those of President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, who has built the largest prison in Latin America. Critics have raised concerns about the government's tough-on-crime tactics and the restriction of civil liberties. However, the government has reported a 20% decrease in homicides in the first five months of 2024 compared to the same period last year [51546394].