El Salvador’s legislature has approved a law permitting courts to impose life imprisonment on minors convicted of murder, rape or terrorism, marking the latest step in President Nayib Bukele’s sweeping anti-gang campaign.
The reform, passed on Thursday, follows a constitutional amendment earlier this month that raised the maximum prison term from 60 years to life for “murderers, rapists and terrorists.”
Bukele has sought to extend the law to individuals under 18, irrespective of gang affiliation.
“We have given Salvadoran families the reassurance that none of these criminals will ever see the light of day again,” said Ernesto Castro, assembly president and member of the ruling party.
Bukele, who has referred to himself as the “world’s coolest dictator,” has overseen mass arrests under a state of emergency declared in 2022. More than 90,000 people, often accused of gang links and detained without warrants, have been jailed. Around 8,000 were later released after being found innocent.
Controversially, the policy allows anyone accused of gang association to be held in adult prisons. While the crackdown has driven homicide rates to historic lows, it has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups.
Francisco Lira, a deputy from the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena), said thousands of Salvadorans “are still waiting for a fair trial” and accused authorities of punishing innocent people. During debate, Lira displayed a sign urging the assembly to support the penalty “without twisting the Constitution.”
