Inside brutal gang prisons where ‘153 have died’ with ‘signs of torture’

Dozens of Salvadorian prisoners have been tortured and killed in jail following the thousands of alleged criminals being locked up in the country’s controversial “war on gangs”.

At least 153 people had died in custody after being booked as part of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and his offensive against the nation’s gangsters.

In almost half of those fatalities, bodies showed signs of being on the wrong end of brutal beatings, including “asphyxiation”, “fractures” and “lacerations”, human rights group Cristosal detailed in their 107 page report.

READ MORE: ‘Demonic’ MS-13 gangster who decapitated Uber Eats driver stabbed victim ‘35 times’

In the remaining 78 cases, inmates’ cause of death was classified as “undetermined” or allegedly “natural”.

Reports suggest that the real number of violent deaths could be much higher.

Others died from malnutrition and some prisoners had been tortured by electric shocks, Cristosal claimed.

El Salvador’s government has been subject to criticism after implementing its anti-gang campaign in March, 2022.

The president called for emergency action after the nation saw 62 homicides in a single day, linked to notorious street gangs.

Five leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) were captured after police alleged they ordered the murders.

In March, 2022, Bukele offered a stark warning to gangsters, and Tweeted: “Stop killing now or they (the incarcerated) are going to pay for it too.”

Since enforcing its war on gangs, more than 67,000 people have been arrested.

A majority of those incarcerated are men aged between 18 and 38 – including those from one of the world’s most brutal gangs, MS-13.

The bloodthirsty organised crime group allegedly has upwards of 80,000 members across the globe, including 10,000 in the US.

While some have questioned Bukele’s “authoritarian” regime, others have championed the gang clampdown – which looks set to secure him the country’s top job for a second term.

Poor Salvadorans, who have lived for years under the oppressive ruling of gangs, have attested that the crackdown has resulted in a dramatic positive change in their lives.

The homicide rates in El Salvador have dropped dramatically since the war on gangs was implemented.

In 2021, the nation saw 1147 homicides; which has almost halved to 495 in 2022, according to El Salvador Info.

The site reported that there have been 63 homicides in 2023 so far, suggesting homicide rates are set for another dramatic fall.

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