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☆ In El Salvador, self-styled ‘world’s coolest dictator’ Nayib Bukele heads for re-election amid human rights concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Employees of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal load boxes containing electoral material for the presidential and legislative elections at the Electoral Organization Directorate in San Marcos, El Salvador, on February 2, 2024. He adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador in 2021 and invited the tech-bros of the world to surf in the Pacific. Under Bukele, El Salvador’s homicide rate has plummeted. So, while El Salvador no longer faces record murder rates, it now boasts the highest incarceration rate in the world. Camilo Freedman/AFP/Getty ImagesA tale of two victimsJackelyne Zelaya does not see the enduring state of emergency as a problem.

Persons: Jocelyn Zelaya, ”, Jackelyne, ” Jackelyne Zelaya, Marcela, Jocelyn, Mara Salvatrucha, Zelaya, “, isn’t, Nayib, Yuri Cortez, Bukele, El, Camilo Freedman, Jackelyne Zelaya, won’t, Maria, tipster, Marvin Reyes, EFE, Guillermo Villatoro, Villatoro, Salvadorean Sandra Hernandez, Jose Dimas Medrano, Stringer, ‘, ’, Ilhan Omar, Samuel Rodriguez of MOVIR, “ Bukele, Daniel Noboa, Latinobarometro, she’s, Maria ’, ” Maria Organizations: CNN, World Bank, El, Employees, Electoral, Getty, FMLN, Civil, Justice Department, Army, “, Congress, Police, National Police, Security Ministry, Human Rights, Democratic, Barrios, Washington DC Locations: San Salvador, Zelaya, El Salvador, American, San Marcos, AFP, America, Latin America, United States, New York, El Salvador’s, Santa Ana, El Rosario, Honduras, WOLA, Washington, Ecuador, El

☆ Top MS-13 leader to stand trial in New York on terrorism charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang members wait to be escorted upon arrival at the maximum-security jail in Zacatecoluca, El Salvador, January 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAN SALVADOR, Nov 15 (Reuters) - A top leader of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang will stand trial in New York on terrorism charges, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday. El Salvador citizen Elmer Canales, known as "Crook de Hollywood," was arrested by Mexican authorities last week and sent to Texas, where a federal court on Wednesday ordered him to face trial in New York. Canales, along with 13 other MS-13 members, was indicted in 2020 on terrorism charges relating to his alleged involvement in organized crime in the U.S., Mexico and El Salvador over the past two decades. When Canales' indictment was unsealed in early 2021, he was behind bars in El Salvador, and the U.S. requested his extradition.

Persons: Mara Salvatrucha, Jose Cabezas, Elmer Canales, Crook, Canales, Merrick Garland, Nayib Bukele, Nelson Renteria, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, SALVADOR, U.S . Justice, El, Wednesday, U.S, Justice Department, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Zacatecoluca, El Salvador, New York, Texas, U.S, Mexico, United States, Salvadoran, Guatemala

☆ Nicaragua pardons, returns 21 Hondurans, including MS-13 gang leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Ismael Lopez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Mara Salvatrucha leader David Elias Campbell Licona, known as "El Viejo Dan", is escorted by Honduras law enforcement officers before being deported to Nicaragua, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, November 5, 2023. Nicaragua also plans to return prisoners to Costa Rica, the government of its southern neighbor said on Saturday. A similar transfer on Oct. 18 involved 43 Honduran prisoners. Campbell Licona had been wanted by Honduran authorities on money laundering and gang charges since 2016, and was captured in Nicaragua in June 2021. Campbell Licona used businesses the gang owned or controlled to launder drug proceeds, including through U.S. banks, U.S. authorities have said.

Persons: Mara Salvatrucha, David Elias Campbell Licona, El, Campbell Licona, Ismael Lopez, Gustavo Palencia, Sarah Kinosian, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Secretaria, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Honduran, Thomson Locations: Honduras, Nicaragua, Tegucigalpa, Seguridad del Gobierno de Honduras, Handout, Rights MANAGUA, Honduran, Costa Rica, Los Angeles, United States, Central America, U.S

☆ Honduras hands prison control to military police, expands emergency powers after deadly riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TEGUCIGALPA, June 21 (Reuters) - Honduras will return control of most of the country's penal system to the military police for the next year, the Central American country's presidential office said late on Wednesday, a day after a prison riot claimed nearly 50 lives. Honduras will also turn islands hundreds of kilometers off the coast into a penal colony for "highly dangerous" gang leaders, the presidental office said. Castro had promised "drastic measures" to address the deaths at a women's prison, which she attributed to an organized attack by gang members conducted with guards' knowledge. Tuesday's riot likely began in retaliation to recent government measures cracking down on corruption and gang control from within prison walls, authorities said. It also returned control of 21 of the country's 26 prisons to the military police.

Persons: Castro, Mara Salvatrucha, Castro's, Gustavo Palencia, Kylie Madry, Lincoln Organizations: Central American, Police, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, United States, El Salvador

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, June 21 (Reuters) - The death toll from a riot at a women's prison in Honduras rose to 46, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday, as anxious relatives demanded information about the fate of incarcerated family members. Relatives of inmates gathered at the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social, the 900-person women's penitentiary around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital city Tegucigalpa, where gang violence erupted a day earlier. Identifying victims is a challenge, as many of which were "charred or reduced" to ash, according to Yuri Mora, spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office. The riot had been planned by gang members with guards' knowledge, Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Twitter on Tuesday, saying she would take "drastic measures" to address the deaths. [1/5]Security forces operate outside the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social (CEFAS) women prison following a deadly riot in Tamara, on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 20, 2023.

Persons: Yuri Mora, Xiomara Castro, Angel Garcia, Fredy Rodriguez, Garcia, Mara Salvatrucha, Miguel Martinez, Julissa Villanueva, El, Gustavo Palencia, Brendan O'Boyle, Valentine Hillaire, Daina Beth Solomon, Alistair Bell Organizations: Centro Femenino de, Twitter, Security, REUTERS, Central America, Thomson Locations: TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Tamara, Los Angeles, Central, El Salvador

☆ Honduras: At least 41 killed in riot at woman's prison
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Cnn En Español | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A deadly riot at a women’s prison in Honduras led to at least 41 people being killed, Public Ministry spokesperson Yuri Mora told CNN en Español. The apparent prison riot broke out Tuesay at the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social, a women’s penitentiary outside the capital city Tegucigalpa, and there are fears the death toll will rise. Mora said the death toll could increase as rescue teams continue to work, adding that some of the deaths were the result of burns while others had gunshot wounds. Security forces are seen outside the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social women prison following a deadly riot. Fredy Rodriguez/ReutersThe country has a history of incidents at its prisons – criticized for being overcrowded places with poor conditions amid an increase of organized crime Some 63 people died in a prison riot in 2003, and more than 300 people died in a prison fire in 2021.

Persons: Yuri Mora, Mora, Mara Salvatrucha, Delma Ordonez, Fredy Rodriguez Organizations: CNN, Public, Centro Femenino de, Barrio, Reuters, Security Locations: Honduras, Tegucigalpa

☆ Mexico nabs, swiftly deports MS-13 gang leader to El Salvador
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jose Wilfredo Ayala, 55, was arrested after a tip from a neighbor, according to the Mexican capital's security ministry. The ministry said it had discovered Ayala - believed to be second-in-command of the gang commonly known as MS-13 - was using a false identity and hiding in Mexico City and in two areas a short drive north in Hidalgo state. An official with Mexico's national immigration institute INM told Reuters later on Tuesday that Ayala had already been deported to his native El Salvador, but did not provide further detail. El Salvador's justice and security ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ayala's capture. Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador; Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Human rights body urges El Salvador to restore civil rights
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN SALVADOR, April 6 (Reuters) - A regional human rights body implored El Salvador's government on Thursday to reverse a year-long suspension of constitutional rights that form part of a sweeping anti-gang crackdown enacted last year and credited with sharply reducing violent crime. In a statement, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), part of the Washington-based Organization of American States, called on President Nayib Bukele and his allies in Congress to restore rights put on hold by the so-called state of exception. The emergency powers allow police to swiftly arrest and jail suspected gang members while suspending their right to a lawyer and court approval of preliminary detention. "IACHR calls on the government of El Salvador to restore the full validity of the rights and guarantees suspended during the last 12 months within the framework of the emergency regime," the body said in a statement. The state of exception followed the murders, blamed on gangs, of nearly 90 people over a single weekend in March 2022.

☆ Salvadorans demand release of innocents jailed in anti-gang sweep
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Nelson Renteria | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] People participate in a protest to demand the release of relatives detained following a year-long state of emergency against gangs, in San Salvador, El Salvador March 28, 2023. In the capital San Salvador, many chanted "freedom for the innocent," in a march on Congress that attracted an estimated 500 protesters, according to organizer Samuel Ramirez. Holding a sign addressed to Bukele, 56-year-old housewife Maria Ruiz described the arrest of her husband Manuel Argumedo as an injustice. Another protester, Rosa Ramos, 43, called for the release of her two adult sons detained over the past couple months, despite what she says were no gang ties. Reporting by Nelson Renteria; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Honduras extends, expands state of emergency meant to fight crime
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez/File PhotoTEGUCIGALPA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The Honduran government on Saturday extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days, expanding it to additional areas of the country in an effort to fight criminal gangs amid high levels of violence. The state of emergency, in place since Dec. 6 in 165 areas of Honduras' largest two cities, Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, has been expanded to 235 of the country's 298 municipalities, the national police said. Police chief Gustavo Sanchez said the decision, based on what he told journalists were good results during December, will allow continued reductions in crime and violence. During the first month of the measures, 39 criminal gangs were destroyed and 652 people were arrested, while 43 kilos of cocaine and thousands of grams and rocks of crack were seized, the police said. Reporting by Orfa Mejia in Tegucigalpa; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ El Salvador deploys 10,000 troops to gang-run capital suburb
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Troops walk in the suburb of Soyapango, after El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced the deployment of 10,000 security forces to the troubled area which for years has been considered a stronghold of the violent Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs, in San Salvador, El Salvador December 3, 2022. REUTERS/Jose CabezasSAN SALVADOR, Dec 3 (Reuters) - El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced Saturday the deployment of 10,000 security forces to a suburb of San Salvador known to be a stronghold for gangs. Images released by the government showed troops carrying heavy weapons, helmets and bulletproof vests, traveling in war vehicles. The municipality has a population of about 300,000 and was previously considered impregnable for law enforcement. Reporting by Gerardo Arbaiza; Edited by Noé Torres and Alexander Villegas and Franklin PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Honduras to suspend some constitutional rights to fight gang violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TEGUCIGALPA, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The government of Honduras announced on Saturday that it will suspend some constitutional rights in areas of two main cities controlled by criminal groups. The cities have been struggling with a so-called "war tax", in which gangs offer protection or say that those who pay up will not be killed. The gangs have torched buses and killed drivers who did not pay the fee, prompting businesses and people to pay out of fear. The measure, which is expected to be endorsed by the council of ministers, is part of President Xiomara Castro's plan to deal with violent gangs. Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Edited by Noé Torres and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Honduras declares national emergency over gang extortions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Congress must still approve the suspension of constitutional rights, though the security plan came into force on Thursday. The declaration also authorizes the Honduran government to make extraordinary use of public funds to combat criminal gangs known for involvement in illicit activities such as kidnapping and drug trafficking. The leftist president announced the new plan to combat extortion afflicting the impoverished Central American nation in a television broadcast. In exchange for a so-called "war tax", gangs offer protection or say that those who pay up will not be killed. The gangs have torched buses and killed drivers who did not pay the fee, prompting businesses and people to pay out of fear.

☆ Guatemala: Cel puțin patru deținuți, decapitați în timpul unei lupte în închisoare între bande rivale
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-20 | by ( Publika.Md - Aici Sunt Știrile | ) www.publika.md time to read: +1 min

Poliția din Guatemala a anunțat, miercuri, că cel puțin patru deținuți au fost decapitați în timpul unei lupte în închisoare între bande rivale, informează BBC, citat de libertatea.ro. Revolta care a avut loc în închisoarea Cantel a fost declanșată de deținuții din bandele rivale Mara Salvatrucha și Barrio 18, la care s-au alăturat ulterior și reprezentații altor bande, și este legată de traficul de droguri. Din informațiile preliminare pe care le avem, ei au fost decapitați”, a spus Jorge Aguilar. Poliția suspectează că revolta a fost declanșată de un membru al uneia dintre bande, care a atacat un rival, ca un gest de represalii pentru un incident recent între cei doi. Conform statisticilor oficiale, aproape jumătate din cele 3.500 de decese violente înregistrate anual în Guatemala sunt comise de bande.

Persons: Salvatrucha, Jorge Aguilar . Organizations: BBC, rivale Locations: Guatemala, Cantel, Ciudad de Guatemala

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