The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on the government of El Salvador Saturday to respect human rights, after authorities declared a state of emergency and rounded up 14,000 suspected gang members.
The arrests often appear arbitrary, according to the commission, part of the Organization of Ameri-can States.
“Many of the detentions have been carried out illegally, arbitrarily and through the use of violence, ” the commission said in a statement. Detainees are often picked up “for belonging to criminal groups
Gang members held at Salvadoran prisons have been put on reduced food rations, denied mattresses and frog-marched around.
The state of emergency declared in late March restricts the right to gather, to be informed of rights and have access to a lawyer. It extends to 15 days the time that someone can be held without charges.
The commission warned the government that even with the decree, “its power is not unlimited, because it has the duty at all times to act in accor-dance with applicable rules and respect the rights of all of those under its jurisdiction.”
Rights groups have expressed concerns that in-nocent people are being caught up in sweeps target-ing the notorious violent street gangs.
In late March, the gangs were blamed for 62 killings in a single weekend, a level of violence the country of 6.5 million has not seen in years.—AP
