What does Bukele’s mega prison look like, where he locked up El Salvador’s gang members?

Early 2023 the president of The Savior , Nayib Bukele inaugurated a huge prison that can accommodate up to 40,000 inmates, according to the government at the time.

The prison was named Terrorism Containment Center (CECOT).

A few weeks later, they went viral shocking images which showed the transfer of 2,000 gang members to the said space of confinement.

As detailed by the Salvadoran government, It’s the “largest prison in America” and aims to reduce crime in the country, after 87 people died between March 25 and 27, 2022 alone.

This building It was built in a record time of seven months with the work of 3,000 people. while it is located in a valley near the Chichonpontec volcano, in Tecoluca.

“This will be their new home, where they will live for decades.” without being able to do more harm to the population “, assured the president of the said country, in the midst of a scenario in which different international organizations denounce irregularities in the detention processes and violations of human rights.

The place has a maximum security system to prevent possible escape maneuvers or techniques by the prisoners.

To perform this operation, The state bought 166 hectares, of which they occupied 23 hectares to build eight pavilions surrounded by a wall 2.1 kilometers high and 11 meters high, protected by electrified wires. according to information collected by Infobae .

Entry policies are strict for both security personnel and administrative staff and inmates, as Before entering, they must register in special areas and then pass through three gates constantly guarded by armed guards. with guns and pistols.

Added to this is that Every inmate must undergo a body scan and photoshoot before entering the prison which has wells, a water plant and electrical substations, among other features, to operate autonomously.

Similarly, the pavilions have a curved roof for ventilation to circulate in natural form.

As for the latter, Each of them covers 6,000 square meters and has 32 cells inside. which, according to the Minister of Public Works, Romeo Rodriguez, have the capacity to hold “more than a hundred” people.

The cells are approximately 100 square meters in size and have two water basins and two toilets to meet the basic hygiene needs of dozens of inmates. who has to sleep in iron huts, without mattresses.

Similarly, after its inauguration, the Windowless ‘disciplinary cells’ to hold misbehaving inmates .

There are no terraces or recreational areas for them to take a break. According to the aforementioned media, They only leave the bars when they attend legal proceedings in a courtroom, in virtual mode. .

“All the terrorists who planned the mourning and pain of the Salvadoran people They will serve their sentence at CECOT “, said Deputy Minister of Justice and Public Security Osiris Luna.

The establishment also has a system that blocks cell phone signals to make communication impossible prisoners with the outside.

Faced with this situation, organizations such as Amnesty International They expressed concern about the possibility of irregularities occurring within this and other facilities. in El Salvador.

According to the said institution, it was reported “a clear pattern of human rights violations under the current approach to public security” “So the construction of this new prison could mean the continuation and escalation of these abuses.”

Under this line they expressed that Criminal activities “must be combated in a comprehensive manner and guarantee the human rights of the entire population” .

In July 2024, Human Rights Watch (HRW) presented Report denouncing detention of more than 3,000 minors in ‘war’ against gangs .

Of this number, More than 1,000 people are said to have been sentenced mainly for costs related to participation in the maras.

However, the organization says the crimes they are accused of “have definitions and definitions that are too broad.” They provide for maximum penalties ranging from 10 to 20 years in prison. “.

“These convictions were often based on uncorroborated police testimony and sometimes contradictory “, the document reads.

In this sense, the director for the Americas of HRW, Juanita Goebertus, said during the presentation of the report that “The government must implement an effective security policy that respects human rights” .

“Allowing human rights to be violated, supposedly to protect security, is rapidly beginning to erode so that the rule of law and democracy no longer have any rights to protect citizens,” he added.