Homicides in El Salvador are down 98% since 2015, a noteworthy feat for a small country once plagued by gangs, being previously dubbed “the murder capital of the world.” The Central American country closed out 2024 with its lowest murder rate on record. El Salvador’s president is touting the nation as the safest in the entire Western Hemisphere.
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President Nayib Bukele’s tactics to achieve the falling murder rates have been praised from within the country, but some human rights groups have been critical of the crime crackdown.
Point phone camera here
In 2024, there were 114 homicides recorded in El Salvador, continuing the trend of a dramatic drop in murders after 214 homicides were recorded in 2023. Just a few years prior, in 2015, the country saw 6,656 people murdered, making it one of the world’s deadliest countries. However, the murder rate in 2024, down more than 98% from 2015, makes it one of the safest countries by homicide rate.
El Salvador cierra el 2024 con una tasa de 1.9 homicidios por cada 100,000 habitantes, consolidándose, indiscutiblemente, como el país más seguro del Hemisferio Occidental, después de haber sido el país más inseguro del mundo.
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) January 1, 2025
Además, diciembre 2024 se convierte en el mes más… https://t.co/lquo7bLrHT
El Salvador’s Congress had granted Bukele’s request to issue a state of emergency back in 2022, after street gangs killed 62 people within a matter of hours. Gang initiations in El Salvador often involve killing at least one citizen.
The state of emergency granted Bukele special powers to use the military to enforce safety laws. It also allowed police to detain any suspect for up to two weeks without official charges being brought.
El Salvador’s Congress renewed the emergency order month since then. Bukele’s conservative party holds a supermajority.
Since the emergency order was enacted, more than 83,000 people have been arrested in an unprecedented crackdown. Some advocacy groups say prison conditions violate human rights. In the past two and a half years, 261 people have died in prisons, according to human rights organization Cristosal.
CNN was recently granted exclusive access to El Salvador’s fortress prison, which opened in 2023. It houses up to 40,000 inmates, all of whom have reportedly killed at least one person.
“Suddenly you’re hit with an intense gaze of dozens locking onto you,” CNN’s reporter said while walking inside the prison. “These men are described as the worst of the worst. Tattooed with reminders of El Salvador’s dark past. It’s tense and uncomfortable. But here, officials say comfort isn’t meant to exist.”
Human Rights Watch points to prison conditions and suspended constitutional rights, including the right to a speedy or fair trial, under the emergency order as violations. Another human rights group based in El Salvador, Socorro Jurídico Humanitario, claims that 35,000 people have been “detained without justification” since the emergency order was put into effect.
The government said 8,000 people have been released due to lack of evidence.
Bukele denied the allegations.
“What about the society, the good citizens that you have in the country,” Bukele said. “Where were (these human rights groups) when we lost 30 Salvadorans in our country a day?”
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Despite the concerns of human rights organizations, many Salvadorans praise the president’s mass crime crackdown. So much so, in fact, that last year residents voted Bukele in for an unprecedented second five-year term.
El Salvador does not allow anyone to run for consecutive terms as president, but the country’s Supreme Court granted an exception. Bukele’s secured more than 80% of the popular vote in his win.
While critics of Bukele’s hardline approach say residents have traded in their freedoms for security, CNN reported that the residents they interviewed say they have never felt so free.
HOMICIDES IN EL SALVADOR ARE DOWN A STAGGERING 98 PERCENT SINCE 2015.
A NOTEWORTHY FEAT FOR A SMALL COUNTRY ONCE PLAGUED BY GANGS AND DUBBED “THE MURDER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD” –
THE CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRY CLOSED OUT 2024 WITH ITS LOWEST MURDER RATE ON RECORD.
EL SALVADOR’S PRESIDENT TOUTING THE NATION AS THE SAFEST IN THE ENTIRE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.
HIS TACTICS TO GET HERE – HAVE BEEN PRAISED FROM WITHIN THE COUNTRY –
BUT SOME HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS HAVE BEEN CRITICAL OF THE CRIME CRACKDOWN.
IN 2024 – THERE WERE 114 HOMICIDES RECORDED IN EL SALVADOR –
CONTINUING THE TREND OF A DRAMATIC DROP IN MURDERS AFTER RECORDING 214 HOMICIDES IN 2023.
BUT JUST A FEW YEARS PRIOR IN 2015 – THE COUNTRY SAW 6,656 PEOPLE MURDERED – MAKING IT ONE OF THE WORLD’S DEADLIEST COUNTRIES.
BUT THE MURDER RATE NINE YEARS LATER – DOWN MORE THAN 98% – MAKES IT ONE OF THE SAFEST BY HOMICIDE RATE.
EL SALVADOR’S CONGRESS HAD GRANTED PRESIDENT NAYIB BUKELE’S REQUEST TO ISSUE A STATE OF EMERGENCY BACK IN 2022 –
AFTER “STREET GANGS” KILLED 62 PEOPLE WITHIN A MATTER OF HOURS.
GANG INITIATIONS THERE OFTEN INVOLVE KILLING AT LEAST ONE CITIZEN.
THAT STATE OF EMERGENCY GRANTED BUKELE SPECIAL POWERS TO USE THE MILITARY TO ENFORCE SAFETY LAWS –
AND ALLOWED FOR POLICE TO DETAIN ANY SUSPECT FOR UP TO TWO WEEKS WITHOUT OFFICIAL CHARGES BEING BROUGHT.
THE EMERGENCY ORDER HAS BEEN RENEWED EVERY MONTH SINCE BY EL SALVADOR’S CONGRESS – BUKELE’S CONSERVATIVE PARTY HAVING THE SUPERMAJORITY.
SINCE THE EMERGENCY ORDER WAS ENACTED –
MORE THAN 83 THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRESTED IN AN UNPRECEDENTED CRACKDOWN.
SOME ADVOCACY GROUPS SAY PRISON CONDITIONS VIOLATE HUMAN RIGHTS.
261 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN PRISONS IN THE PAST 2 AND A HALF YEARS.
CNN WAS ALLOWED EXCLUSIVE ACCESS INTO EL SALVADOR’S FORTRESS PRISON THAT OPENED IN 2023.
IT HOUSES UP TO 40 THOUSAND INMATES – ALL OF WHOM HAVE KILLED AT LEAST ONE PERSON.
Jail cell nat. Suddenly youre hit with an intense gaze of dozens locking onto you. These men described as the worst of the worst. Tattooed with reminders of el salvador’s dark past. Its tense and uncomfortable. But here, officials say comfort isn’t meant to exist.”
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH POINTS TO PRISON CONDITIONS AND SUSPENDED CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS “TO A SPEEDY OR FAIR TRIAL” UNDER THE EMERGENCY ORDER AS VIOLATIONS.
ANOTHER HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP BASED IN EL SALAVADOR
SAYS 35 THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN “DETAINED WITHOUT JUSTIFICATION” SINCE THE EMERGENCY ORDER.
THE GOVERNMENT SAYS 8 THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RELEASED DUE TO LACK OF EVIDENCE.
HOWEVER SALVADORANS – PRAISE THE PRESIDENT’S MASS CRIME CRACKDOWN –
SO MUCH SO LAST YEAR – RESIDENTS VOTED BUKELE IN FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED SECOND FIVE-YEAR TERM.
IN EL SALVADOR – THE COUNTRY DOESN’T ALLOW ANYONE TO RUN FOR A CONSECUTIVE TERM AS PRESIDENT. BUT THE COUNTRY’S SUPREME COURT GRANTED AN EXCEPTION – AND BUKELE’S WIN WAS OVERWHELMING –
WINNING 83 PERCENT OF THE POPULAR VOTE.
WHILE CRITICS OF THE HARDLINE APPROACH TO BUKELE’S GOVERNMENT SAY RESIDENTS HAVE TRADED IN THEIR FREEDOMS FOR SECURITY –
CNN REPORTED THE RESIDENTS THEY INTERVIEWED SAY THEY HAVE NEVER FELT SO FREE.
Media Landscape
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Left 56%
Center 22%
Right 22%
Bias Distribution
29 other sources covering this story
Total News Sources
29
Leaning Left
5
Center
2
Leaning Right
2
Last Updated
3 days ago
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