El Salvador Archbishop Lauds Government's Gang Crackdown Despite Critics' Backlash

An El Salvador archbishop on Sunday lauded the efforts of the country's government on gang crackdown amid the state of exception imposed after March's violence.

Archbishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas claimed that the Salvadorans support the measure imposed by the government to curb the gang violence in the country.

"People don't want the violence to return... They not only want these things maintained, but they also want them to advance, to end the violence," Escobar Alas said in a news conference.

The archbishop added that the people of El Salvador are afraid of returning to how their country was before after experiencing how to live without the scourge of gang violence.

Critics of El Salvador's state of exception claimed that the measure has violated human rights, arguing that the government has arrested innocent people. The activist group noted that young men are frequently arrested based on their age, appearance, or whether they live in a gang-dominated area.

Human rights groups also claimed that the measure imposed on El Salvador led to arbitrary detentions.

Archbishop Escobar Alas noted on Sunday that he has heard the complaints of the families, adding that he talked to President Nayib Bukele's government to prevent the said "margins of error." He also emphasized that he urged Bukele's government to release those who might be innocent.

Salvadorans From U.S. Support Pres. Nayib Bukele's Gang Crackdown in El Salvador

NBC News reported that President Nayib Bukele's approval rating soared to almost 90% amid the gang crackdown, which activists claim also curbs civil liberties in El Salvador,

There were no U.S.-based polls that would indicate the level of support for Bukele. However, the news outlet reported that the Los Angeles area, the home of the largest Salvadoran-born population in the U.S., as well as other cities, showed support.

Carlos Zaragosa, a Los Angeles resident and the head of the El Salvador Foundation, appealed that most of Bukele's support came from his gang crackdown measure. He also noted that Bukele is doing the "best work" when it comes to gang crackdown in their home country.

Iris Lara Cubias, the president of Juntos Por Una Sonrisa Shulton Foundation in Los Angeles, said Bukele is giving a heightened sense of security and "a lot of help that was never seen before in the country."

"The popularity of Bukele right now, especially among the diaspora has to do with the deep frustration of the Salvadoran people with the performance of previous governments," Florida International University's Latin America and Caribbean Center Director Jose Miguel Cruz said.

El Salvador Gang Crackdown

The state of exception that granted placing El Salvador under a state of emergency was imposed after 62 people died in just a day, believed to have happened due to gangs.

Authorities believe that the killings were a result of the gang violence driven by MS-13 and Barrio 18.

The state of emergency was originally imposed in March to curb the gang violence in the country, but on July 20, it was extended for another 30 days.

According to reports, over 43,000 people were arrested since March, with Human Rights Watch citing 60 credible reports of deaths in custody.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

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