El Salvador decrees a state of exception due to an increase in homicides

Bukele says his security plan against violence is working 0:47

(CNN) --

El Salvador's legislative assembly approved a state of emergency law early Sunday morning to tackle a spiraling homicide rate, fueled by the Barrio 18 and MS-13 gangs, after police forces of the country reported 62 homicides on Saturday.

Constitutional rights, including freedom of association and the right to a state-sponsored defense in court, will be suspended for 30 days to better target criminal groups, according to the decree.

Security forces will also be able to intercept phone calls and hold suspects in preliminary detention for longer periods of time under the new decree.

"We have complied with the Salvadoran people," tweeted Ernesto Castro, president of the legislative assembly, after the announcement of the government decree.

"We approve the #Exception Regime that will allow our Government to protect the lives of Salvadorans and confront criminality head-on."

El Salvador has a long history of organized crime groups fighting security forces and each other to control territory and drug routes in Central America.

The small Central American country, roughly the size of the US state of Massachusetts, led the world for the number of homicides related to the size of its population for several years in a row in the 2010s.

President Nayib Bukele took office in June 2019 with widespread support, after promising a tough stance against gang violence, which has plagued El Salvador for decades.

Maximum emergency in prisons in El Salvador 3:33

In 2020, he authorized the use of deadly force by the police and military against gang members he said were taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic, following a weekend of violence that left at least 50 dead across the country.

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In December, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two El Salvador government officials, accusing them of negotiating with MS-13 and Barrio 18 in an effort to reach a "truce" and bolster political support.

During the negotiations, the US government alleged, the gang leaders agreed to provide political support to the ruling New Ideas party in the upcoming elections.

The US noted that Nuevas Ideas won a two-thirds supermajority in the 2021 legislative elections.

The United States also accused the Bukele administration in 2020 of providing financial incentives to gangs to “ensure that incidents of gang violence and the number of confirmed homicides remain low” and of offering imprisoned gang leaders mobile phones and prostitutes. .

Bukele at the time denied that his administration was negotiating with gangs.

He wrote on Twitter that accusations that the government supplied cellphones, prostitutes and money to gangs were an "obvious lie."

Critics, meanwhile, have accused the 40-year-old president of authoritarian tendencies.

In February 2020, Bukele sent armed troops to Congress as he demanded lawmakers approve his plan to secure a $109 million loan to tackle gang violence.

And last September, El Salvador's highest court ruled that the president can serve two consecutive terms, paving the way for Bukele to run for re-election in 2024.

The high court judges were appointed in May 2021 by the country's newly elected Congress, which is dominated by Bukele's party, after lawmakers removed the Supreme Court constitutional chamber magistrates and the attorney general.

Although homicides have decreased since Bukele took power, murders have been on the rise in recent weeks.

Bukele said on Sunday that the measures "will only be implemented by the relevant institutions only when necessary."

"Life will continue as normal for the vast majority of people," he said in a tweet.

The law was approved with 67 votes in favor, according to a tweet from the official account of the legislative assembly.

Seventeen members abstained or voted against.

CNN's Merlin Delcid, Eliza Mackintosh, Sheena McKenzie, Flora Charner, Tatiana Arias and Hollie Silverman contributed to this report.

Nayib Bukele