OAS human rights body pleads with El Salvador amid gang crackdown

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – The Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) doubled down on its calls Friday for El Salvador’s government to respect the rights and dignity of tens of thousands of Salvadorans detained during a nationwide state of emergency.

“The Commission reiterates its call to the State to ensure that actions related to citizen and prison security policies are implemented within the limits and procedures that guarantee respect for human rights and dignity,” the IACHR said in a statement.

The IACHR, an autonomous organ of the Washington-based Organization of American States, referenced El Salvador’s “international obligation to ensure judicial guarantees” just as civil rights groups warned the IACHR that arbitrary arrests are being driven by age, physical appearance and socioeconomic status.

El Salvador’s government-controlled legislature enacted the state of emergency after a spike in homicides at the end of March. On May 25, lawmakers passed a second 30-day extension of the measure, which is supposed to give security forces extra power to fight gangs.

Since the state of emergency went into effect, authorities have detained more than 36,000 people, including 1,190 minors, according to official statistics.

At least 18 people have died in police custody, Amnesty International said Thursday. The rights group feared “massive human rights violations” could drive that number higher.

Seven out of ten Salvadorans support the government’s measures to stop crime, according to a poll from Francisco Gavidia University’s Center for Citizen Studies.

Bukele’s office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Nelson Renteria; Writing by Brendan O’Boyle; editing by Diane Craft)