Salvador tightens prison sentence for gang members

After the violence in the streets of El Salvador intensified last weekend, the president of that nation, Nayid Bukele, asked Congress to extend the years in prison for all people who belong to gangs, whether they be MS-13, the 18 or the 18 Revolutionary.

Parallel to the reform that is being carried out to the Penal Code, the authorities have been deployed in the streets and have carried out massive arrests of possible perpetrators of the more than 70 people who were murdered between last Friday and Saturday.

Another of the measures of the "gang wars" plan is more money for the police and more weapons for the Army, in addition to the state of emergency, which will be valid for 30 days, in order to stop the violence.

Penalties range from 10 to 45 years in prison.

According to the new ordinance, being a member of the gangs MS-13, La 18 or La 18 Revolucionaria, will have a sentence of up to 30 years, even if no crime is proven. For the leaders, a sentence of 40 to 45 years in prison is expected..

Minors are not exempt from the regulation, children from 12 to 16 years old who belong to gangs could go to jail for 10 or 20 years.

Likewise, those who help, promote, favor or facilitate the formation of criminal groups will also receive a punishment that can range from 20 to 30 years in prison.

Deputy Jorge Castro announced that Congress is working on a law that punishes with jail those officials or political parties that negotiate with some gang members.

Human rights violation

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) spoke out after the Bukele government made the decision to reduce the amount of food given to gang members in prison, as well as showing concern about the arrests.

Faced with this pronouncement, the head of state did not hesitate to show his repudiation and questioned the fact that when innocent people died, the body did not say anything about it.

It is estimated that these gangs have around 70,000 members and finance themselves with extortion and kidnapping, as well as drug trafficking.