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It is evident that the Salvadoran authorities do not expect constant monitoring of transparency and respect for human rights, as the United States has announced, Medrano said. A common-sense project, Bukele called it. During the pandemic, he approved purchases by the Ministry of Health of rubber boots and medical supplies from a family business and a company owned by another government official, at a cost of more than half a million dollars over value. You only have access to basic statistics. Anyone can read what you share. Meanwhile, he cultivated an image of a benefactor abroad, protecting the Executive against criticism. This is the case with, , who was elected under serious criticism for irregularities in his appointment, and, who also has ties to Bukele. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. From once calm nations like Chile and Ecuador, to chronically violent Haiti, Honduras and Colombia, Fed up citizens have seen conventional security policies fail Many times. Id love your feedback on this newsletter. In August, prosecutors there showed that El Salvadors two main political parties had colluded with MS-13 and other gangs, paying them more than US$300,000 for of El Salvador since May 2021 and citizens dont have access to information regarding how the funds are being used. Respondents were asked the following questions: 33 /100. When Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso hinted that Bukele had gone too far with his measures, he sounded like a voice in the desert. What we have achieved in El Salvador is available to all countries, Minister of Security. J. Edgar Hoover, the longtime F.B.I. "Share of Respondents Who Were Asked or Had to Pay a Bribe in The Last 12 Months in El Salvador in 2021. This is also the case of the members of the. Read past editions of the newsletter here. Punitive populism has been used for clientelistic-electoral purposes, generalizing a, the creation of new crimes, the increase of penalties, and the use of prison as the most appropriate measures to address criminal acts, In addition, the emergency regime has exacerbated the de facto annulment -initiated by the Bukele government- of the right to access to public information. El Salvadors Tough Policing Isnt What It Looks Like Shootings reported as enfrentamientos, or confrontations, often mask killings of civilians and other misconduct. Expand effective channels of communication with organizations, journalists, and social leaders so that they can express their concerns and present proposals, including ways to transmit information in a confidential and secure manner that could contribute to investigations in the United States for acts of corruption and human rights violations perpetrated by public officials in El Salvador. Transparency International places El Salvador on its. Instead, there is individual interpretation by the sector in power that imposes its own understanding on constitutional precepts in order to justify violation of the Constitution itself. , the National Civil Police declared under reserve the information on homicides and victims of the crime of disappearance in El Salvador, which demonstrates how data and information are concealed and unverifiable. Four days after what many call a rightwing coup, deputies loyal to Bukele approved legislation proposed by the president and promoted in the Assembly by the official partys caucus that in essence shields from trial or audit government officials who have made or will make irregular purchases, which they justify as actions meant to fight the pandemic. This does not imply free cooperation, but rather passing the debt to a third party. Africa Bukeles soft power, unusual for a president of such a small nation, is the fruit of years of diplomatic work. Likewise, they can play a fundamental role in stemming the tide of authoritarianism and human rights violations by conditioning the funds that are approved for El Salvador on respect for the rule of law. The Historic Center - which one police intelligence official described as organized disorder - is the heart of the countrys capital city, San Salvador. Learn how your comment data is processed. White label accounts can distribute our data. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set The state of exception has favored corruption due to: In the framework of the war against gangs and under the state of exception, Bukele initiated the construction of a new prison that Bukele himself called a confinement center for terrorism and where there is no information about its management, particularly with regards to the loans obtained to finance its construction and the costs involved. Kevin McCarthy is No Edward Snowden, But He Should Find the Comparison Flattering, Assessing Nicaraguas Long Haul toward Liberation and Economic Democracy, A National Divorce? Manorama Online According to data handled by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, since the beginning of the state of exception until September 12, have been detained without arrest warrants or any guarantees such as due process. However, in many parts of Latin America, the reception to his policies has been more positive and benevolent. This weekend, he announced the transfer of the first 2,000 prisoners to the new facility. 518, Police Disciplinary Law ( Decreto No. Welcome to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism, a key part in our battle against the gangs, Osiris Luna Meza, director of El Salvadors penitentiary system, said. The president of Lima and right-wing presidential candidate, Rafael Lpez Aliaga, promised a Bukele plan to end urban crime. One example of this was the decision to make, President Bukeles declaration of assets confidential, inherited from the war; however, measures such as the emergency regime have weakened democracy by limiting access to information and, under the criterion of protecting national security, a concept that was applied during the war. . However, since the beginning of his government, Bukele has failed to comply with this law, declaring most public information as reserved, making the confidentiality of public management as the rule and not the exception as the law dictates. According to El Salvadors national police, there is now less than one murder a day. Degrowth or Debunk: Do Degrowth proponents have a strategy? As of August 23, 45,260 people had been provisionally sent to prison during mass hearings and in one hearing alone, 552 people were accused. The removal of the justices and top prosecutor was condemned by Latin American social organizations, by the IACHR, by Ecuadors Constitutional Court and by Latest news In 2011 El Salvador enacted the Law on Access to Public Information (LAIP) guaranteeing the right to seek and receive information held by the state, which strengthened citizen participation and democratic governance. "Has a police officer asked you for a bribe in the last twelve months? Due to the lack of access to information, there is no certainty about the procedure for the acquisition of goods or services in security matters, facilitating acts of corruption such as embezzlement. Article. In other words, it has fostered a lack of transparency and accountability in the management of public resources. Rodolfo Delgado, the attorney general named by Bukeles deputies, is also linked to the official party. If left unchecked, it is hard to imagine that the police and soldiers will continue to patrol the streets for free. (Keep reading: El Salvador: first 2,000 gang members are transferred to the Bukele mega-prison). Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1068239/people-experiences-bribery-public-services-el-salvador/, Share of respondents who were asked or had to pay a bribe in the last 12 months in El Salvador in 2021, Share of people who say their government is run by a corrupt elite by country 2019, Public trust in institutions in Italy 2020, Public trust in the Church in Italy 2009-2020, Institutional organization of whistleblowers in Italy 2020, Distribution of whistleblowing cases in Italy 2020, by type, Distribution of whistleblowing cases by macro-region in Italy 2020, Number of whistleblowing cases in Italy 2015-2020, Money laundering rate in Italy 2020, by province, Reports of suspected money laundering in Italy 2012-2020, Suspicious financial operations in Italy 2020, by region, Suspected money laundering operations in Italy H2 2020, by reporter, Crimes reported by the police forces to the judicial authority in Italy 2019, by type, Number of mafia-type associations in Italy 2004-2020, Distribution of most frequent scams in Italy 2018-2020, Paraguay: bribery victimization rate 2021, Costa Rica: bribery victimization rate 2021, Honduras: bribery victimization rate 2021, Guatemala: bribery victimization rate 2021, Perception of the importance of personal contacts in dealings with the public sector 2013, Global Corruption Barometer 2013 - bribery rates around the world, by service, Perceptions of corruption in the U.S., by institution in 2013, Perceptions of corruption around the world, by institution in 2013, Institutions perceived to be most affected by corruption around the world 2013, Global Corruption Barometer 2013 - bribery rates around the world, Perceived effectiveness of government in fighting corruption around the world 2013, Public perception of the extent of undue influence of government in OECD countries in 2013, Brazil: influence of ordinary people in the fight against corruption as of 2019, Corruption Perceptions Index Indonesia 2012-2021, Reasons for giving in to bribe requests from government officials in Indonesia 2018, Opinion on steps taken by state or local government to reduce corruption India 2017, Perception on scale of bribery and corruption in Indonesian government 2018, China: manufacturing firms treating corruption as major constraint 2013, by category, Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports. The second theme is that many of you reached out after my Brazil column last week to point out the history of similar connections between politicians and violent groups in the United States and other wealthy countries. As of August 25, the countrys Forensic Institute (Instituto de Medicina Legal, IML) had registered 73 deaths within the countrys prison system since the state of exception was put in place. We saw that danger to democracy with the unequivocal use of the armed forces for political coercion, starting with the military assault on the Legislative Assembly [last year], with no forceful action taken at the time.. She specializes in security and judicial matters, and has collaborated with the Americas Program since 2014. the act for the use of products for medical treatment, Public Administration Procurement and Acquisitions Law, signed contracts of more than 3.5 million dollars with foreign companies. France and where there is no information about its management, particularly with regards to the loans obtained to finance its construction and the costs involved. That meeting was later made public over official government channels, making it look as though the international community supported the Salvadoran president. The gravity and circumstances under which human rights violations have occurred in El Salvador reflect a government that uses punitive not preventive measures that violate human rights as a security strategy. entertainment Much of that decline cannot be attributed to the crackdown, even if homicides bottomed out at a remarkable low last year a statistic Bukele frequently trumpets. The first is that many American subscribers wanted to know how they can watch the latest season of Babylon Berlin. If thats you, then Im sorry: Netflix hasnt released it in the U.S. yet, (its already available online where I live), but my understanding is that the truly dedicated among you can order DVDs online. as a country whose perception of corruption is high, with a rating of 34/100 (0 is highly corrupt and 100 very clean) for 2021, a slight drop from the previous year where it scored 36/100, meaning an increase in public perception of corruption. Local human rights organizations have documented a lack of basic necessities such as access to clean water, sanitary services, and sufficient food in decent condition. Some 64,000 Salvadorans have been put behind bars in just under a year. In addition to the mass arbitrary arrests and excessive force used by security forces both during these arrests and in the prisons themselves, there have also been cases of forced disappearances and human rights abuses committed by judicial authorities. Thats not all. A blow has been struck against the Republics democratic institutions and the Constitution, said Celia Medrano, a human rights activist and former candidate for secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The extent to which Los Angeles was literally invented by the Los Angeles Times and by its owners, Harrison Gray Otis and his descendants in the Chandler family, remains hard for people in less recent parts of the country to fully apprehend, Didion wrote in a 1990 Letter from Los Angeles column in The New Yorker. Standing out among the irregular purchases mentioned is a corn purchase from the Mexican state of Sinaloa, in which the Agriculture Ministry paid 2.5 million dollars more than what a company in El Salvador would charge. But for now, as I often do, Ive been doing some broader reading to try to get a grounding in some of the relevant history. In response, Bukele retaliated and Rivas was charged with the crime of contempt. Carmen Aponte, a former ambassador and adviser to former U.S. President Barack Obama, warned recently that there is talk in Washington of cutting financial aid, limiting Salvadoran citizens ingress to U.S. territory, making public more names of officials linked to corruption, and recommending against approval of more loans to the Salvadoran government, as long as Bukele and his deputies continue to show no interest in respecting democracy and the independence of Salvadoran institutions. They wont see any daylight, Mr. President, Luna Meza, whom the U.S. government has placed on a list of officials suspected of corruption in El Salvador, proudly told Bukele. Due to the threats to democracy, it is essential that the international community -including governments, multilateral organizations and donors- make calls and exert diplomatic pressure on the Bukele government to respect human rights and not to use the state of exception indefinitely. WebYet, 2020 and 2021 saw the lowest homicide rates in years. What they call removal and appointment do not comply with due process as established by the Constitution, said constitutional scholar and former diplomat Napolen Campos. Or when it comes to requesting loans, this government will absolutely face serious questions.. This has led to further. In Costa Rica, and perhaps in the Dominican Republic and Panama, relatively strong institutions seem more likely to discourage attempts to emulate Bukeles approach. Charges Point to El Salvador Police Chief's History of Obstructing Likewise, El Salvadors Ministry of Finance allocated $890 million in the general budget for 2022 for security and defense issues and an additional $400 million for security issues through a combination of redirected funds and debt. . His drastic methods, however, are not without controversy. Earlier this month, Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, unveiled his latest infrastructure project: a massive, first-world jail that could well become the largest The creation of a judicial culture of abuse of power and the normalization of the use of force as a method of social order by the National Civil Police, the Armed Forces, and the judiciary is alarming. China raises its military budget by more than 7 percent in 2023, Inherit the spirit of Lei Feng and promote the civilization of the new era_China Economic NetNational Economic Portal. Call on the government of El Salvador to cease the abuse of public force and human rights violations against the population, and urge the Legislative Assembly not to continue to approve extensions to the state of emergency. MIAMI (AP) Allies of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, including his Cabinet chief, have been included in a list of senior officials in Central America deemed technology We are facing a government that is not interested in having a good relationship with its neighbors or with other governments other than one in which its acions are praised and accepted.. Sports *This statement was submitted by Ana Mara Mndez-Dardn to the Record of the Hearing on the State of Exception in El Salvador on September 12, 2022 of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committees Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. In less than a week, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and his Legislative Assembly have managed to lock in full political power in El Salvador, dismissing sitting Supreme Court justices and de facto naming new ones as well as a new attorney general, while passing legislation that grants immunity to loyal functionaries linked to irregular purchases during the pandemic. This is how Nayib Bukele came to power in El Salvador,with the mission of ending the violence perpetrated by the gangs , rooted in the Central American nation for decades. G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century, City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles, Paths out of Dixie: The Democratization of Authoritarian Enclaves in Americas Deep South. May 13, 2022. ", Corruption perception index score of countries in the European Union 2022, Public trust in political leaders in Italy 2021, Corruption Perceptions Index in Italy 2012-2020, Public trust in State Police in Italy 2013-2021. Another case is the recent arrest of Luis Alexander Rivas, who published a photo on Twitter of two of President Bukeles brothers with a group of bodyguards. Through support to the Salvadoran police and prosecutors via vetted units, INL helped facilitate a U.S. interagency law enforcement effort to dismantle MS-13 cells across the Desde el final de la guerra civil de El Salvador, la polica del pas se ha convertido en un Browse all of our subscriber-only newsletters here. Video And further afield, in Chile, which is experiencing a crime wave, pro-Bukele street parades have echoed on social media. Bukeles heavy-handed strategy, which intensified after he declared the State of Exception last March, has reduced the homicide rate in El Salvador and has provided relative security to communities devastated by violence for years. As of August 25, the countrys Forensic Institute (. Arab Book The emergency regime has exacerbated the de facto suspension of this right that Bukeles government initiated in the beginning of his mandate, annulling citizens ability to verify the use of public funds by the National Civil Police and the Ministries of Security and Justice, among other institutions. To the messages of concern out of the U.S. were added warnings about the China-El Salvador relationship. We only need to see ourselves in the mirrors of Venezuela, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras.. newspaper The Legislative Assembly -controlled by the ruling party- has approved other decrees along with the six extensions of the decree of the state of exception, which allow the government to manage public funds without adhering to the Law of Acquisitions and Procurement of the Public Administration. Neither the press nor civil society has had access to detailed information on security policies and the fight against violence, such as the. Arbitrary detentions and torture in prisons have occurred in a systematic, generalized, and massive manner, repressing part of the population, which implies a possibility that crimes against humanity are being committed. Castro, who campaigned from the left with an emphasis on curbing abuses by Honduran security forces, has called the Salvadoran president a role model and has placed 16 of the countrys 18 departments under a continued state of emergency, though the mass arrests have not yet arrived. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In addition to the mass arbitrary arrests and excessive force used by security forces both during these arrests and in the prisons themselves, there have also been cases of, and human rights abuses committed by judicial authorities. Although the crime is not related to gang-generated violence, it was carried out under the rules of the emergency regime which allowed the elimination of some of Rivas constitutional guarantees. Next door, conservative Zury Ros, who is emerging as the favorite for this years presidential election in Guatemala, praises Bukeles security policies on social media and has forged her own ties with members of his circle. Tackling Corruption in El Salvador In 2018, El Salvador received a Corruption Perception Index score of 35 out of 100, with 100 being no perceived corruption. United States In response, Bukele retaliated and Rivas was. Democracy has been wounded, the damage done. so that, while the emergency regime is in force, the government is not obliged to comply with the legal procedures for state purchases and contracting, such as the publication of contracts for services and public works, as well as the evaluation of companies or persons to whom they are awarded, etc. They can sign up here. Since March of last year, his government has been prosecuting a war on the countrys infamous gangs. There is extreme overcrowding in the prisons which has led to deplorable conditions. Current job openings: Download historical data for 20 million indicators using your browser. The prison is no white elephant, however. The members of the Institute of Access to Public Information do not fulfill their role of overseeing transparency and publicity since they are close to the ruling party.