El Salvador Congress declares state of emergency after gang killings

On March 27, 2022, soldiers man a checkpoint at the entrance to the Las Palmas Community, a neighborhood that is supposed to be under the control of Barrio 18 Gang in San Salvador, El Salvador. President Nayib Bukele asked the government to declare a state of emergency after a wave of gang-related killings over the weekend. SALVADOR MELENDEZ AP SAN SALVADOR - El Salvadoran Congress voted on Sunday emergency powers that temporarily suspended some constitutional protections after the Central American country recorded a rise in killings attributed to criminal gangs.

The nation of 6.5 million people has a total of 62 homicides on Saturday, according to the police. It was the highest daily death toll of homicides this century, according to Celia Medrano, a longtime human rights advocate.

In response to the emergency measures, El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele asked Congress to approve the measures, which include restrictions on free assembly and the inviolability of correspondence and communications, as well as an extension of administrative detention.

After holding an extraordinary session early on Sunday, Ernesto Castro, the president of Congress, said that we approve the exceptional regime, which will allow our government to protect the lives of Salvadorans and confront criminality head-on.

After the vote, Bukele praised the move.

The measures to be taken will be implemented by the institutions and will only be announced when necessary. Life is normal for the vast majority of people. Bukele wrote on Twitter that God bless us all.

In 2015, El Salvador had a rate of 103 homicides for every 100,000 people, one of the highest in the world. Since Bukele took office in 2019, the rate has fallen steadily since.

The administration of Bukele has been marked by democratic backsliding, as he has tried to consolidate his control over the legislative and judicial branches, according to critics.

His government has been accused of brokering a pact with the two main gangs, giving gang members better prison conditions, money and other benefits in exchange for them reducing homicide rates and giving support to Bukele's party at legislative elections. He has denied all of those accusations.