This policy enabled the repetition of crimes against humanity, said Cristosal’s head of transitional justice, as he addressed the repeated complaints of human rights violations, which he said have been a constant since the implementation of this state initiative.
In an interview with Radio YSUCA, the manager assured that torture in detention centers and other types of violations have become a constant, despite denials from the security authorities.
“With the emergency regime we once again had a scenario of massive human rights violations, which also included the establishment of torture as a state security policy,” he emphasized.
That is why we say that crimes against humanity are being repeated precisely because the justice and reparation agenda that the State of El Salvador should have taken into account after the internal armed conflict has not been addressed, he said.
With the emergency regime we would again have a scenario of massive human rights violations, including the establishment of torture as a security policy, he claimed, which the Minister of Justice and Security, Gustavo Villatoro, denied this week.
The owner addressed criticism from local and international human rights organizations such as Cristosal, pointing out that they will always generate “stories” to attract what we have taken away by “living on the blood of Salvadorans,” he explained.
Villatoro disputed and denied the existence of torture in prisons, elements documented by organizations that defend suspected gang members and collaborators.
For his part, Morales assured that these crimes have no statute of limitations and that the officials who commit them can be tried before an international criminal court. “Since 2015, El Salvador has been a state party to the Rome Statutes and those responsible can be prosecuted for crimes that constitute crimes,” he said.
The emergency regime has been in force since March 27, 2022 and, according to authorities, around 73,000 people have been arrested under this measure, of which seven thousand have been released, while civil organizations claim that almost 200 people died in prison.
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