(CNN Spanish) – El Salvador's president, Nayeb Bukele, this Saturday supported the security policy, which, according to official figures, has drastically reduced murders in the Central American country.
Salvadoran President reacted on his X account For statements made by former President of Chile and former UN Human Rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet. During a forum in Guatemala, Bachelet said El Salvador lacks due process and highlighted the inhumane conditions in prisons.
“The truth is that human rights have been violated there. There is no due process, people are crammed in prisons with inhumane conditions,” Bachelet said during his speech at a forum on “Strategies to strengthen democratic resilience and institutions in Latin America”.
Bukele says Bachelet's criticism comes when they are “the safest country in the Western Hemisphere”.
In your message on XBuchelle points out that Bachelet visited El Salvador in 2015 during the government of Salvador Sánchez Seren, when he was serving his second term as president of Chile, and “appreciated the government of the time.” That year, according to reports released by authorities, was the most violent in recent memory and El Salvador reached a homicide rate of 106.3 per 100,000 people.
In 2023, according to reports released by the authorities, the average homicide rate was reduced to 2.4 and by 2024, the government predicted a decrease of 1.8 homicides per 100,000 people.
“It's interesting to realize that these 'human rights' organizations really only exist to protect the rights of criminals,” Bugel adds in his post.
The Salvadoran president has repeatedly criticized opponents of his crackdown on gangs, saying they prioritize the safety of criminals over honest people. Under the extended and questionable state of emergency, Bugel's policies have resulted in more than 82,000 prisoners linked to gangs, according to official records.
Despite criticism of human rights by national and international organizations, Bukele told the United Nations General Assembly at the end of September that the world looks to El Salvador's example for its decisions on security.
Since 2022, a state of emergency has been in effect in El Salvador, which suspends several constitutional guarantees, including the right to security, and extends the period of temporary detention from 72 hours to 15 days. International organizations have pointed to human rights violations and arbitrary detentions in this context.
