El Salvador arrested over 3000 as part of anti-gang crackdown

17/7/2024 6:41

        A rights report released Tuesday says the government of El Salvador has arrested 3,319 underage suspects and sentenced 579 to prison terms during the harsh 2 1/2 year-old crackdown on street gangs.
        
        The report by Human Rights Watch says the minors have often been held in "inhumane conditions," and sometimes in the same facilities with adults. The reports said authorities have done little to ensure food, health care and family contact, or protect them from beatings or sexual assault in prison.
        
        Of the 3,319 detained, a total of 841 minors remained in custody as of January, the report said.
        
        Of the those convicted, the report claims authorities in many cases coerced the minors into "making false confessions to crimes through a combination of abusive plea deals and sometimes mistreatment or torture."