El Salvador’s Permanent State of Exception: A Warning on Government Overreach and Rights Violations

El Salvador, once plagued by gang violence and ranked among the world’s deadliest nations, now finds itself in a troubling new chapter where emergency powers stretch beyond their original mandate. What began in March 2022 as a short-term state of exception—aimed at curbing an unprecedented wave of killings—has morphed into a seemingly permanent fixture underpinning President Nayib Bukele’s grip on power. While the government boasts impressive drops in homicide rates and territorial reclaiming from criminal gangs, the costs loom large for freedoms and rule of law. More than 87,000 detentions under this regime mostly target alleged gang members, but reports...