They warn about democratic regression in the Northern Triangle of Central America | News

Democratic regressions and the advance of authoritarian schemes in the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras "cause an increase in state violence and human rights violations against citizens," according to a report presented this Thursday by the non-governmental organization Cristosal. , in San Salvador.

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The document called "State violence: maximum expression of abuse of power in the northern region of Central America" ​​contemplated that this situation mainly affects "human rights defenders, journalists, justice operators, defenders of the territories of indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and impoverished communities and marginalized”.

The NGO points out that, after the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of emergency powers gained "unique popularity in the region to face all kinds of health, economic, social and security crises."

In this sense, he stressed that only in the period from July 2021 to May 2023 the organization registered "12 emergency decrees in the three countries", 11 of them motivated by security issues.

"This has led to the restriction or suspension of fundamental constitutional rights, such as freedom of movement, the right to assembly and demonstration, the inviolability of the home and communications, legal detention and the right to defense, among others," he said. .

He valued as worrisome the number of days in which the populations have been under suspension of constitutional rights and guarantees, especially in El Salvador, where they exceed 400. Guatemala follows with 253.

He said that the Salvadoran nation also presents the highest number of arbitrary detentions to date, with 66,000. In that country, 162 people died while in state custody.

Based on these data, Cristosal proposed that the countries of the region "avoid the inappropriate use of emergency powers and use constitutional tools to address crime."

In addition, it urged "limiting the exercise of punitive power to the judicial system and avoiding the instrumentalization of the justice system for political persecution," a phenomenon visible in El Salvador and Guatemala.

The report launched the call to guarantee "the rights of indigenous peoples, including the resolution of territorial conflicts and land restitution, as well as strengthening protection mechanisms for human rights defenders, journalists and justice operators, through a route criticism that encompasses prevention, monitoring, investigation, protection and reparation of violations”.