Hunched over, in white underpants and shaved heads, 2,000 members of criminal gangs moved into the world’s largest prison, the Center to Combat Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador, in early morning.
“This will be their new home, where they will no longer be able to harm the population,” President Nayib Bukele wrote in a video he posted on Twitter.
Context: Since the Central American country’s government stepped up the fight against gang crime, there have been more than 60,000 arrests. The new “mega-prison” in the city of Tecoluca can accommodate up to 40,000 inmates on 166 hectares, they are monitored by 600 soldiers and 250 police.
Police officers in El Salvador no longer need an arrest warrant to arrest suspects, which human rights organizations have sharply criticized.