Current:Home > NewsEl Salvador’s leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
El Salvador’s leader, criticized internationally for gang crackdown, tells UN it was the right thing
View Date:2025-01-11 08:30:18
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele trumpeted the success of his gang crackdown during his speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, crediting his administration’s will against international criticism over human rights violations.
Bukele said that if El Salvador had listened to external critics — including some at the United Nations — the tiny Central American country would again be the murder capital of the world.
“Today, I come to tell you that that debate is over,” Bukele said. “The decisions we took were correct. We are no longer the world death capital and we achieved it in record time. Today we are a model of security and no one can doubt it. There are the results. They are irrefutable.”
More than 72,000 people have been arrested under a state of emergency Bukele requested in March 2022 after a surge in gang violence. The special powers that Congress granted Bukele suspended some fundamental rights such as access to a lawyer and being told the reason for one’s arrest.
Critics say that there is no due process, and thousands of innocent people have been swept up in the security blitz. More than 7,000 have been released for lack of evidence of gang ties.
In March, the U.N. human rights office expressed concern over the year-long crackdown, noting widespread human rights violations, thousands of unsubstantiated arrests and dozens of in-custody deaths.
But at home, Bukele’s security policies are very popular. They will likely be the centerpiece of his campaign for re-election next year, something prohibited by El Salvador’s constitution but allowed by court justices selected by his supporters in the Legislative Assembly.
As Bukele noted Tuesday, Salvadorans can walk without fear in their neighborhoods and allow their children to play outside without the oppressive fear of gang recruitment and violence.
In 2015, El Salvador was considered one of the world’s most violent as it recorded 6,656 homicides, or about 106 per 100,000 people. So far this year, the National Civil Police have registered 146 homicides through Sept. 18, more than 72% below the same period last year.
El Salvador’s newfound security has drawn more international visitors and is beginning to attract Salvadorans who moved away long ago to escape the violence, he said.
Bukele mentioned the Central American and Caribbean Games that El Salvador hosted in June and the upcoming Miss Universe competition that will come to El Salvador in November, as well as international surfing competitions that Bukele has promoted.
“We know that much still needs to be done to achieve it,” he said, “but we are on the path to reaching our goal of reversing the massive exodus of Salvadorans, a result of all of the mistaken policies of the past and the civil war, and arriving at our dream of having inverse migration, that more Salvadorans return than those who leave.”
veryGood! (944)
Related
- Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
- Tiger Woods withdraws from Genesis Invitational in second round because of illness
- Prosecutor: Grand jury decides against charges in troopers’ shooting of 2 after pursuit, kidnapping
- State governments looking to protect health-related data as it’s used in abortion battle
- Florida education officials report hundreds of books pulled from school libraries
- Sleater-Kinney talk pronouncing their name the secret of encores
- The CDC investigates a multistate E. coli outbreak linked to raw cheddar cheese
- Fear of God Athletics reveals first foray into college basketball with Indiana and Miami
- J.Crew Outlet Quietly Drops Their Black Friday Deals - Save Up to 70% off Everything, Styles Start at $12
- Longtime Maryland coach, Basketball Hall of Famer Lefty Driesell dies at 92
Ranking
- Jimmy Kimmel, more late-night hosts 'shocked' by Trump Cabinet picks: 'Goblins and weirdos'
- Longtime Maryland coach, Basketball Hall of Famer Lefty Driesell dies at 92
- You Won't Believe These Celebrity Look-Alikes Aren't Actually Related
- You Won't Be Able to Get These Photos of Lenny Kravitz Off Your Mind
- Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650 million, just 3 years after buying the app for $7.3 billion
- Spoilers! What that ending, and Dakota Johnson's supersuit, foretell about 'Madame Web'
- Albuquerque Police Department Chief crashes into vehicle while avoiding gunfire
- Southern Illinois home of Paul Powell, the ‘Shoebox Scandal’ politician, could soon be sold
Recommendation
-
Why Cynthia Erivo Needed Prosthetic Ears for Wicked
-
Former CBS executive Les Moonves to pay Los Angeles ethics fine for interference in police probe
-
UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers is returning for another season: 'Not done yet'
-
Alaska woman gets 99 years in best friend's catfished murder-for-hire plot
-
Tony Hinchcliffe refuses to apologize after calling Puerto Rico 'garbage' at Trump rally
-
Former 'Bachelor' star Colton Underwood shares fertility struggles: 'I had so much shame'
-
Oregon TV station KGW issues an apology after showing a racist image during broadcast
-
Don’t Miss Kate Spade Outlet’s Presidents’ Day Sale Featuring Bags Up to 90% Off, Just in Time for Spring