Relatives of imprisoned people in El Salvador demand their release

The relatives of innocent people arrested during the State of exception have organized under the name MOVIR, “Movement of Victims of the Salvadoran Regime”. On march 28th, they decided to march towards the Legislative Assembly and present the following statement.

The thousands of Salvadoran families affected by the State of Exception express:

1- The application of security measures cannot be justified by violating other human rights.

2- The exception regime responds to an electoral political strategy.

3-There has been a series of attacks and violations against the population that has nothing to do with gangs, causing serious damage and trauma to thousands of innocent victims. Many young people have been captured for their appearance, for living in areas in which there was gang presence, and their families have suffered attacks, have been denigrated, misinformed, mistreated and cheated.

4-There is evidence of the massive theft of prison packages (which includes underwear, cereal, medicine, hygienic kit). Its high cost affects the economic situation of these families, especially due to the arbitrary imprisonment of their breadwinner.

5-There are reports of approximately 150 deaths in State custody, people accused or detained, and there was no explanation or information. Abuse has been normalized as a state policy.

All of this constitutes gross systematic and massive violations that are clearly crimes against humanity perpetrated under the so-called “War on Gangs.”

For all of the above, we demand from the Salvadoran State:

1-Immediate cease of the massive and systematic violation of all constitutional principles, Human Rights and laws of the Republic, under the pretext of security.

2- To the Legislative Assembly, we demand the immediate repeal of the “Exception Regime” and regressive and repressive penal reforms that reinforce it at Constitutional level.

3-To the Public Ministry, Judicial and Penitentiary System, Army and National Civil Police, depose such dishonorable submission to a dictatorship. Put an end to the abuse of authority, the inquisition of thousands of citizens that you know are innocent; and, as an immediate result, their release, with reparation for all the damage caused.

We ask the Salvadoran people in general and the international community to speak out and point out to the NB government that there are many other security and justice resources, such as intelligence, scientific, professional and impartial investigation, to put in place instead of the degrading fascist method of national security, the development of a dangerous state and public trial by mass media.

Relatives of innocent people arrested during the #StateOfException marched down yesterday and were received at the Legislative assembly only by deputy Claudia Ortiz.#elsalvador #bitcoincity #surfcity #nayibbukele #diasporasv #elsalvador pic.twitter.com/3u51n0pJwD

— US El Salvador Sister Cities (@USESisterCities) March 30, 2023

Some of the people who attended yesterday carried information about their loved ones, sometimes even police records showing that there were no claims made against them in the past: