Observatory at University Reports Decrease in Homicide Rates within El Salvador
** Slammin' Salvador: Rights Group Warns Authoritarian Shift**
SAN SALVADOR (Our Everyday News) - The University of Central America José Simeón Cañas' University Observatory of Human Rights (OUDH of UCA) recently announced a drop in El Salvador's homicide rates, but cautioningly flagged the danger of drifting towards an authoritarian government model.
Speaking at a press conference, Gabriela Santos, Director of the Human Rights Institute (Idhuca), highlighted the decrease in El Salvador's murder count, but stressed that the State cannot morph into a ruthless violator of human rights.
The organization raises concerns about a "disturbing pattern" of the government attempting to "camouflage or trivialize human rights violations perpetrated by the State." They observe a narrative propagated by the government urging El Salvador to project itself as a role model in terms of security policies and territorial recovery, which, in Santos' words, is "nothing more than a veil to mask the truth."
According to the study, there were 243 violent deaths in 2024, including 114 intentional homicides reported by the Attorney General's Office (FGR) and 114 prison-related deaths reported by the Humanitarian Legal Aid (SJH). This represents the fourth consecutive year of a decrease in the murder rate, falling from 1,341 in 2020 (22.2 per 100,000 inhabitants) to a mere 243 in 2024, equating to 4 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
Santos argues that if the government's narrative, emphasizing a positive shift in the security situation and a decrease in the homicide rate, is accepted, then "the exception regime itself becomes an empty vessel."
She further pointed out that the exception regime, declared by Congress in March 2022 in response to an influx of gang violence, "has paved the way for grave human rights violations against individuals already vulnerable in their situation."
President Nayib Bukele's hardline strategy has led to the imprisonment of over 85,500 individuals on charges of gang affiliation. Shockingly, the government itself has acknowledged that many of these detainees remain in prison without conviction, necessitating the release of nearly 8,000 due to the lack of concrete evidence. Meanwhile, human rights groups estimate that up to 25,000 innocent people could be unjustly incarcerated.
Launched in response to the exception regime, authorities have registered almost 6,900 complaints of human rights abuses within prisons, encompassing beatings, mistreatment, cruelty, and sexual abuse.
Roberto López, OUDH coordinator, underlined the continuous violation of the right to life and stressed that this issue is exacerbated by arbitrary detentions, torture, mistreatment, and restricted access to justice.
On a concerning note, the right to life is not the only right under siege: El Salvador's constitutional protections such as due process, legal representation, and freedom of assembly have been suspended under the state of exception, granting security forces extensive powers to detain suspected gang members without warrants. The detention period, initially 72 hours, has now been extended to a staggering 15 days. Furthermore, telecommunication interception is allowed without a judicial order, and prisoners are denied access to lawyers and visitors.
As the nation grapples with staggering crime rates and analogy-tantalizing security, the unchecked power amassed by President Bukele raises concerns about the erosion of democratic institutions and suppression of dissent. Bukele's administration has targeted human rights advocates, journalists, and civil society, including detaining prominent human rights activists and passing stringent laws like the "Foreign Agents" law. This legislation demands the registration of organizations and individuals receiving foreign funding with a government-controlled registry, leaving room for arbitrary labelling and stifling freedom of association, expression, and press freedom—a recurring tactic employed by authoritarian regimes such as Russia and Nicaragua.
The organization, UCA's OUDH, suggests that El Salvador's decrease in homicide rates should not camouflage an authoritarian shift in policy-and-legislation, as highlighted by Gabriela Santos. The average homicide rate over the past four years has dropped significantly, yet concerns about human rights violations persist, with up to 25,000 innocent people potentially facing unjust incarceration due to the exception regime, which also curtails general-news freedoms such as due process, legal representation, and freedom of assembly.
