In response to COVID-19, the president of El Salvador ordered tight measures of quarantine stating those as the road to keep people safe from the virus. These measures quickly turned into dreadful repression.
A young man reported being shot twice in the legs by the police after being stopped. He had left home to buy some things he needed and get gas after just getting payed for his work.
A 48-year-old woman who works to protect human rights, was detained as she went out to get food and medication for her 3-year-old son. She was locked down in a contention centre for over a month without having been diagnosed with the virus and despite her heightened risk from suffering diabetes.
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy leaving his job in a sugar plantation. They beat him and took him to a police detention centre, where he was held with adults for almost three days, before being released without charges.
To date, more than 2,000 people have been arbitrarily detained for leaving their homes and placed in government contention centres. People living in poverty, working in the informal sector and returned migrants are more at risk of being affected by these repressive measures since many of them need to leave home to work or get food and medications. The government is following a dangerous path towards becoming a repressive state.
Right now, the main goal of authorities should be to protect people. Tell President Bukele to stop repressive measures and instead protect the rights of all people in El Salvador.