Punitive populism has been used for clientelistic-electoral purposes, generalizing a, the creation of new crimes, the increase of penalties, and the use of prison as the most appropriate measures to address criminal acts, In addition, the emergency regime has exacerbated the de facto annulment -initiated by the Bukele government- of the right to access to public information. Football and where there is no information about its management, particularly with regards to the loans obtained to finance its construction and the costs involved. "Share of respondents who were asked or had to pay a bribe in the last 12 months in El Salvador in 2021." Arab Book Prominent politicians and ordinary people from neighboring Central American countries, even from nations as far away as Peru and Chile, they have professed their admiration for his measuresand expressed their desire to see their own governments adopt their approaches. They wont see any daylight, Mr. President, Luna Meza, whom the U.S. government has placed on a list of officials suspected of corruption in El Salvador, proudly told Bukele. According to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the actions of the states must be governed by the principles of publicity and transparency in public administration, which makes it possible for the people under its jurisdiction to exercise democratic control of the states actions, so that they can question, investigate, and consider whether public functions are being properly carried out. The members of the Institute of Access to Public Information do not fulfill their role of overseeing transparency and publicity since they are close to the ruling party. You can also follow me on Twitter. The Proposed TikTok Ban Goes Too Far. Serious human rights violations have been the most visible and worrisome effect of the emergency regime, as the climate of disrespect for constitutional guarantees such as the right to defense, due process, freedom of movement and association, among others, worsens and becomes more normalized. An independent judiciary is critical to a healthy democracy and a strong economy. However, since the beginning of his government, Bukele has failed to comply with this law, declaring most public information as reserved, making the confidentiality of public management as the rule and not the exception as the law dictates. Longtime subscribers wont be surprised that my reading list starts with Joan Didion. Facebook: quarterly number of MAU (monthly active users) worldwide 2008-2022, Quarterly smartphone market share worldwide by vendor 2009-2022, Number of apps available in leading app stores Q3 2022, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. (I followed that up with some of Mike Daviss work, particularly his classics City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles and The Case for Letting Malibu Burn.). A fraud has been perpetrated against the Constitution by the procedure used for removal, a fraud against the law for not allowing the use of the fundamental right of defense. A blow has been struck against the Republics democratic institutions and the Constitution, said Celia Medrano, a human rights activist and former candidate for secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Spanning about 410 acres in an isolated region of El Salvador, the jail is the latest example of Bukeles punitive state. May 13, 2022. while Honduran President Xiomara Castro sent military police to the border with El Salvador to prevent suspected criminals will cross the border line. A state of exception is a legal mechanism used to address emergency situations and must be eminently temporary and extraordinary. (Read more: Clash between Petro and Bukele: this was the harsh exchange of messages). El Salvador: A recipe for corruption The reality is that the scale of the project defies common sense and easy comprehension. France If youre enjoying what youre reading, please consider recommending it to others. Kevin McCarthy is No Edward Snowden, But He Should Find the Comparison Flattering, Assessing Nicaraguas Long Haul toward Liberation and Economic Democracy, A National Divorce? He was the defense attorney for the pretrial hearing of the director of the National Civil Police (PNC) on charges of having participated in the military action against the Legislative Assembly on February 9, 2020. of LGP Data, placing second in the general ranking of La Nacin. According to the news outlet. The right to access to information is a vital tool in the fight against corruption as it allows for the implementation of citizen auditing of government acts and promotes greater accountability. El Salvador - Transparency.org Bukele is then shown X-ray machines, surveillance towers and a fully staffed security perimeter. what types of deaths are included in the total homicide figures, removing, for example, the deaths of alleged gang members in confrontations with the police. The essence of this kind of violent politics is that it happens at the local level, so Ive also been reading about specific cities, and how their particular flavors of machine politics have sometimes opened up space for crime and corruption to flourish, encouraged state violence, or both. In comparison, in 2016, police recorded 5,278 homicidesa rate of approximately 80 per 100,000. In spite of this, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bukele government has limited -both to the press and to the citizenry- information that could reveal possible abuses of power, mismanagement of public funds, and any mismanagement in the public sector. Aguilar, who also gave out face masks for his personal campaign, said the protective masks were produced with recycled material that the Bukele administration bought. Arab world Due to the threats to democracy, it is essential that the international community -including governments, multilateral organizations and donors- make calls and exert diplomatic pressure on the Bukele government to respect human rights and not to use the state of exception indefinitely. health Some 64,000 Salvadorans have been put behind bars in just under a year. We are facing a government that is not interested in having a good relationship with its neighbors or with other governments other than one in which its acions are praised and accepted.. newspaper )His reputation is obviously not tied to macroeconomic indicators. world News, Hosted byByohostingMost Recommended Web Hosting for complains, abuse, advertising contact:o f f i c e @byohosting.com, Bukeles popularity in the region continues to grow, despite his critics, iPhone 15 Pro adopts a new seamless machine side design! In December, Guatemala turned over a gang leader with an arrest warrant for a series of slayings to El Salvador authorities, while Honduran President Xiomara Castro sent military police to the border with El Salvador to prevent suspected criminals will cross the border line. During the pandemic, he approved purchases by the Ministry of Health of rubber boots and medical supplies from a family business and a company owned by another government official, at a cost of more than half a million dollars over value. Web2.3.2 El Salvador has a framework of laws to penalise different forms of criminal activity and a functioning criminal justice system composed of the security forces police, military, intelligence services and the judiciary, comprised of the Supreme Court sitting above various subordinate courts. News Agency The procedures for these express purchases have also been extended to the construction of the new megaprojects announced by Bukele: the airport and the Pacific train. Vice-President Kamala Harris, who oversees the working group in migration, which is exploring the causes of Central American migration and the problems of the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala), issued a warning about the Biden administrations reaction to the undermining of democracy and its institutions by Bukele and his deputies. ", Vanderbilt University, Share of respondents who were asked or had to pay a bribe in the last 12 months in El Salvador in 2021 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1068239/people-experiences-bribery-public-services-el-salvador/ (last visited March 05, 2023), Share of respondents who were asked or had to pay a bribe in the last 12 months in El Salvador in 2021 [Graph], Vanderbilt University, May 13, 2022. In 2020, according to statistics from the Salvadoran National Police, there were 20 homicides per 100,000 people; in 2021, the number dropped to 18 per 100,000. The tour then goes to the cells, meant to hold groups of terrorists, and the extreme solitary confinement area, where inmates will be kept completely in the dark a widely condemned practice. TV The removal of the justices and top prosecutor was condemned by Latin American social organizations, by the IACHR, by Ecuadors Constitutional Court and by Sources: Government of New York City, Government of. Its been clear since the first day of the [current] Legislative Assembly that no respect for the Constitution exists, nor will it, Medrano said. El Salvador "Has a police officer asked you for a bribe in the last twelve months? Browse all of our subscriber-only newsletters here. A serious line of impunity has been drawn that becomes another fraud. Four days after what many call a rightwing coup, deputies loyal to Bukele approved legislation proposed by the president and promoted in the Assembly by the official partys caucus that in essence shields from trial or audit government officials who have made or will make irregular purchases, which they justify as actions meant to fight the pandemic. The second theme is that many of you reached out after my Brazil column last week to point out the history of similar connections between politicians and violent groups in the United States and other wealthy countries. Political news He can be seen arriving at the jail in a caravan of black SUVs. Said Napolen Campos, This makes us a pariah in the international sphere because it labels us as anti-democratic and anti-institutional at a time when all mechanisms of accountability should be reinforced. WebEl Salvador is a constitutional multiparty republic with a democratically elected government. Since its inception in 1995, the Corruption Perceptions Index, Transparency Internationals flagship research product, has become the leading global There were indications that Morgan was planning to reveal police corruption, possibly by selling a story to the media, so the report analyzes the alleged police corruption from that era, including selling confidential information and assisting criminals with inside police information. The Legislative Assembly -controlled by the ruling party- has approved other decrees along with the six extensions of the decree of the state of exception, which allow the government to manage public funds without adhering to the Law of Acquisitions and Procurement of the Public Administration. The Sordid Secrets of Cities. In this way, the democratic system has been delegitimized by excluding citizens in the processes of deliberation, management, and evaluation of public policies, especially those related to citizen security.