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El Salvador’s planned release of some prisoners falls short for many families
Families say the plan still leaves innocent relatives in limbo, while rights groups report thousands of arbitrary arrests and 564 deaths in custody.
- On last week's news conference, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced his government is analyzing more than 10,000 cases involving alleged gang collaborators for potential conditional release from the more than 90,000 arrested under the state of exception.
- Since March 2022, the government enacted a state of exception to combat gangs MS-13 and Barrio 18, suspending constitutional rights and triggering mass arrests that pushed El Salvador's incarceration rate to about 1.5% of the population—the world's highest.
- Liliana de Reyes, of the Mothers for Freedom collective, said families demand due process and case-by-case review, arguing the conditional release plan implies guilt. "What we want as family members is that they follow due process as they should have from the beginning," Reyes said.
- At least 564 people have died in state custody, while relatives like Natalia Funes de Claros scrape together $100 monthly for basic supplies the government does not provide, intensifying pressure on Bukele to address detention conditions.
- Under the "Cero Ocio," or "Zero Idleness," program, Bukele noted half of eligible detainees could perform community service to reduce sentences, though critics argue this conditional release framework fails to exonerate those wrongfully detained or provide compensation.
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9 Articles
9 Articles
Associated Press News+8 Reposted by 8 other sources
El Salvador's planned release of some prisoners falls short for many families
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele plans to release some prisoners detained during his government's crackdown on suspected gang members.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources9
Leaning Left5Leaning Right1Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Left
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
56% Left
L 56%
C 33%
11%
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