Today the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT), the mega-prison promoted by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, continues to be one of the most visible symbols of his security strategy and also one of the focal points of greatest international controversy.
The penitentiary center, located in Tecoluca, continues to function as the axis of the state of exception implemented in El Salvador since 2022 to combat gangs. According to recent data, the country has already surpassed 91,000 arrests linked to that state offensive against criminal structures.
In recent days, the CECOT has once again been at the center of attention because it houses some of the accused in one of the largest mass trials held in the country's recent history. Salvadoran justice has initiated proceedings against 486 alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, accused of crimes committed over a decade, including homicides, extortion, and arms trafficking.
Pressure from human rights organizations
Bukele's Government defends the penitentiary model as a decisive tool to reduce violence and maintains that the homicide rate has fallen drastically since the beginning of the state of exception. The Executive presents the CECOT as an infrastructure designed to prevent gangs from reorganizing themselves from prison.
However, international organizations and human rights entities maintain strong criticisms about the functioning of the system. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and groups like Amnesty International have questioned the lack of due process, arbitrary detentions, and opacity regarding detention conditions.
In parallel, the CECOT model continues to arouse political interest outside El Salvador. International delegations have visited the prison to learn about its operation up close, and some Latin American governments are studying partially replicating the Salvadoran scheme against organized crime.
The prison, inaugurated in 2023, was conceived to house up to 40,000 inmates and is characterized by an extreme control system, permanent surveillance, and severe isolation. It currently represents both the main symbol of Bukele's popularity and one of the biggest points of friction between security and human rights in Latin America.