El Salvador extends state of emergency for 30 days to fight gangs

The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador on Sunday April 24 extended for one month the state of emergency voted on March 27 to contain deadly gang violence.

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The new decree-law, adopted at the request of President Nayib Bukele, indicates that

is made necessary

.

The first month of the state of emergency, which ends on April 27, has allowed authorities to arrest 16,000 gang members without warrants.

This measure also restricts freedom of association and the rights of the defence, extends the period of detention during the investigation, and allows the interception of communications.

The parliament, controlled by the ruling party, also approved in early April a reform aimed at punishing gang members with sentences of up to 45 years in prison.

, tweeted Nayib Bukele.

Police said they captured 590 gang members on Saturday and, since the offensive began on March 26, arrested 16,053 people, the highest number in the past 30 years in the Central American country.

Read alsoSalvador: the state of emergency introduced after a wave of homicides attributed to gangs

El Salvador is fighting in particular against Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18, which have 70,000 members, 32,000 of whom are currently incarcerated.

Nayib Bukele has declared war on gangs operating in his territory after the killing of 87 people between March 25 and 27, crimes that authorities have attributed to these criminal groups.

The reform also provides for punishing the dissemination of gang messages in the media with a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.