Within the first two months of the state of emergency in El Salvador imposed by President Nayib Bukele back in 2022, two of Gladis Álvarez’s sons were arrested and accused of being gang associates. Since then, the 53-year-old woman’s life has fallen apart. “There were eight of us in my family. Now, I’m the only one left,” Álvarez laments. “Since my sons were arrested, our lives have been destroyed in a terrible way,” she adds.
The word “associated” in this context can be as little as “looking like a gang member”. People are arbitrarily arrested and locked up, often without real evidence or due process.
I of course feel sorry for the many thousands of innocent people who are imprisoned in horrible conditions as well as their friends and family who have no idea exactly where they are.
The Bukele regime is barbaric and extremely antidemocratic. And Bukele actually has very much associated himself with Trump and his corrupt circle. These people can’t be trusted and don’t work for the people, they just want money, power, and influence.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/el-salvador-el-costo-humano-del-regimen-de-excepcion-podria-constituir-crimenes-de-lesa-humanidad/