El Salvador cracks down on prisoners after rash of murders

Record ID: 1549282

  • Title: El Salvador cracks down on prisoners after rash of murders
  • Date: 28th April 2020
  • Summary: IZALCO, EL SALVADOR (APRIL 27, 2020) (REUTERS) GUARD TOWER AT IZALCO PRISON VARIOUS, WORKER SOLDERING PRISON CELL BARS EL SALVADOR'S VICE MINISTER OF SECURITY, OSIRIS LUNA, LOOKING ON WORKER SOLDERING BARS LUNA AND GUARDS WALKING THROUGH PRISON GUARD WITH GUN VARIOUS, PRISON COURTYARD PRISONERS SEEN BEHIND BARS JOURNALISTS LOOKING AT PRISONERS INSIDE CELLS VARIOUS, PRISONERS, MANY WITH TATTOOS, SEEN INSIDE CELLS GUARDS OUTSIDE CELLS VARIOUS, PRISONERS IN CELL LUNA AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) EL SALVADOR'S VICE MINISTER OF SECURITY, OSIRIS LUNA, SAYING: "They (prisoners) are causing pain and mourning for the people of El Salvador. With respect to the measures that we are taking, they are totally within the law and our legal framework. We don't need to establish a state of emergency." PRISON GUARDS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) EL SALVADOR'S VICE MINISTER OF SECURITY, OSIRIS LUNA, SAYING: "We're going to establish the same set of rules as in (another Salvadoran prison), no visits, total isolation in each of the cells, and they won't be able to have any type of communication that they had, not even written, because we've taken that away from them, and we've blocked the (cellular phone) signals. Everyone here can verify that there is no signal." EMPTY PRISON GYMNASIUM LUNA IS DISINFECTED GUARDS BARBED WIRE GUARD TOWER
  • Embargoed: 12th May 2020 03:08
  • Keywords: El Salvador coronavirus gangs incarcerated jail measures murders outbreak pandemic prisoners prisons violence
  • Location: IZALCO, EL SALVADOR
  • City: IZALCO, EL SALVADOR
  • Country: El Salvador
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001CBENL1J
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: El Salvador President Nayib Bukele on Sunday (April 26) authorized the use of "lethal force" by police and military against gang members to crack down on heightened violence amid the coronavirus pandemic.
    The Central American country reported 24 homicides on Friday (April 24), the worst one-day toll since Bukele took office in June, prompting him to order a 24-hour lockdown in prisons housing gang members.
    By late afternoon on Sunday, police had registered another 29 murders, prompting Bukele to introduce tougher measures against gangs he said were taking advantage of the fact security forces were busy helping to contain the virus outbreak.
    The government this weekend also ordered members of rival gangs into shared cells in a bid to break up lines of communication between members of the same group, and carried out searches in at least five prisons.
    Some 12,862 gang members are incarcerated in El Salvador, prison authorities said
    (Production: Wilfredo Pineda, Manuel Carrillo)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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