El Salvador is home to the largest prison in Latin America. Murderers, rapists and gang members go there. We are talking about the Terrorism Detention Center – CECOT. The prison opened last year. It can accommodate 40,000 people and is filling up quickly because the country with one of the highest murder rates in the world has been in a state of emergency for two years. Amnesty International warns that El Salvador is experiencing a “gradual replacement of gang violence with state violence.” However, society supports this policy – the first data show a drop in crime. CNN was the only television station that managed to get into the guarded complex and show the conditions in which the inmates were kept.
Until I entered the prison door, I had no idea what might happen to me inside. Suddenly I saw dozens of pairs of eyes looking straight at me. These people are the most brutal criminals, the “worst of the worst”. They bear tattoos on their bodies reminding them of their dark Salvadoran past. There is an atmosphere of tension and anxiety. As the prison managers say, it can't be too nice here.
There are no mattresses, no sheets. To use the bathroom, there is a bowl to fill with water. There is a barrel with drinking water nearby.
This is a rare opportunity to see a prison for the worst criminals. The place is known as CECOT. There are always guards in front of the cells. If we look up, we can see a corridor with armed guards also standing there.
The light is on 24 hours a day. This prison is like an isolated fortress. It is located surrounded by mountains, an hour and a half drive from the capital.
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Even though we are accompanied by a delegated official, on the way we stop for inspection, where our luggage is searched, and then we can continue. Just before our goal, we stop at another checkpoint. We are approaching the gate. At this point, cell phone reception stops. Then we will undergo a thorough inspection.
80 prisoners in one cell
We have the opportunity to see this huge object. It covers the area of seven football stadiums. It's like several prisons in one. The complex is surrounded by three rings of fences. The outer wall is nine meters high. There is a three-meter-high mesh fence on it – under voltage of 15 thousand volts.
The staff numbers over a thousand people. There are prison guards, policemen and soldiers. Inmates stay in one of eight sectors.
The director tells me that once prisoners are in one of these sectors, they never leave. Everything takes place inside, including doctor visits, all kinds of meetings with lawyers and court hearings.
There are over twenty cells in each sector. There are on average 80 inmates in a single cell. – It's not a five-star hotel, but they give you food three times, they give you some activities. You go to exercise. There is also time for prayer, says Marvin Vásquez, one of the prisoners.
Most of the inmates have traces of belonging to one of the gangs. They terrorized the country for years, committing brutal acts of violence.
“You have to kill people, you have to rob people, you have to do it to survive”
We are talking to 41-year-old Marvin Vásquez. He is handcuffed and constantly guarded. He belonged to the MS-13 gang and has tattoos symbolizing membership in a criminal organization. – You have to kill people, you have to rob, you have to do it to survive – he claims.
Classes last only 30 minutes a day. The remaining 23.5 hours they are locked in their cells. Prisoners who use violence against other inmates or guards are placed in solitary confinement.
In the cell, the only light coming in comes through a small hole in the ceiling. Inmates can stay there for up to 15 days.
The director mentioned that many people will raise concerns about respect for human rights and possible abuses. However, he is calm about criticism because he sees what these people go through every day and calls it an appropriate punishment.
Even prisoners cut off from society receive limited information from the outside. – I heard that this is the new El Salvador. It looks completely different, says Marvin Vásquez.
A state of emergency has been in place in El Salvador for two years
This new El Salvador is a country ruled by President Nayib Bukele. He took power in 2019. More than two years ago, he declared a controversial state of emergency.
This resulted in a drastic drop in crime. We see the services in action in one of the housing estates. Two and a half thousand officers, policemen and soldiers take part in it. The action will last all night until all the criminals are caught.
Critics of Bukele's government argue that his cabinet has a wide range of possibilities to suppress any voices of dissent. Last week, the U.S. State Department downgraded travel to El Salvador, citing a “significant reduction in crime rates.”
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The letter also states that the extraordinary security measures implemented by the authorities make it possible to detain anyone suspected of criminal activity or gang activity and to suspend their constitutional rights.
Still, most people we meet seem undeterred by this extra show of strength. I asked one of the residents if he was concerned about the presence of soldiers right at his door. He replied that it was just the opposite. I feel safe.
The percentage of prisoners in El Salvador's society is one of the highest in the world. The most dangerous criminals are sent to CECOT. People often get life imprisonment there.
– We did bad things, we are paying for it severely by serving a sentence – says Marvin Vásquez. For many outsiders, this prison is a symbol of freedom in – as they say – “the new El Salvador”.
Main photo source: CNN