The Central American country of El Salvador has transferred 2,000 gang members to the largest prison in the Americas with a capacity of 40,000, built on the orders of President Nayib Bukele.
President Bukele said on his Twitter account that they have reached a level of security that they are proud of in the war against gangs.
“This will be their new home where they will live mixed for decades without causing more harm to the public,” Bukele said, introducing a video of the mega prison built with high security.
Minister of Justice and Security Gustavo Villatoro stated in his statement that the construction of the prison, defined as the Center for the Containment of Terrorism (CECOT), has been completed and said, “Cell by cell, we are removing this cancer from society. Know that we will not abandon you again, you will pay the price for being cowardly terrorists.”
Mega prison opened on February 2
The inauguration of the so-called mega prison on 166 hectares in a valley in the town of Tecoluca, 74 kilometers from San Salvador, was held on February 2.
The “Terror Protection Center”, which was built to fight against gangs and is said to be the largest prison in the Americas, was opened by President Bukele.
It is recorded that the current prison capacity in the country is around 30 thousand.
People are satisfied with the state of emergency
According to a poll released by the American Central University in October 2022, 75.9 percent of El Salvadorans approve of the government’s decision to impose a state of emergency and believe that Bukele’s policies have reduced crime.
In his speech on November 24, 2022, Bukele pointed out that more than 60,000 people had been arrested under the state of emergency since March and said that such measures had also worked in the city of Comasagua, where some gang members accused of murder were wanted.
Following the strict measures taken in El Salvador, the number of murders committed between January and October 2022 decreased by 38 percent compared to the same period in 2021.
MS13 gang blamed
A state of emergency was declared in El Salvador on March 27 for one month and renewed every month thereafter.
Bukele said on June 30 that the war against armed groups would intensify.
Since the beginning of March, more than 100 people have been killed in operations against gang members in the country, and the number of detainees has reportedly exceeded 58 thousand.
Authorities blame the MS13 gang for the renewed escalation of violence in the country.
El Salvador, one of the countries with the highest murder rate in the world, has serious security problems due to the power of gangs in the country.
