BY George Upper, The Western JournalMarch 3, 2023
1 year ago
BY 
 | March 3, 2023
1 year ago

President of El Salvador Declares Total War Against MS-13, Arms Prisoners with Sledgehammers and Gives Them One Target

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador on Thursday morning tweeted

The tweet was written in English, suggesting that its intended audience was unlikely to be his own countrymen; Spanish is the official and most commonly spoken language in El Salvador.

Bukele posted undated video of tombstones being broken up with sledgehammers in a cemetary, describing the scene: "We sent prisoners to destroy all tombstones with gang symbolisms."

An ABC News report from November told of inmates being sent into cemeteries with a similar mission in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. At time, inmates demolished nearly 80 tombstones and also erased gang-related graffiti in the city-run facility.

“Our plan is that there is no graffiti so the people feel safe,” Santa Tecla Mayor Henry Flores told ABC News.

It was not immediately clear whether the video shared by Bukele this week was from that event or another, more recent, repetition of the same tactic.

Either way, Bukele has repeatedly shown that he isn't playing around since he requested "special powers" a year ago and suspended some of the nation's constitutional rights in the name of quelling gang violence.

On Feb. 24, Bukele showcased a new prison intended for hardened gang members in a video shared on his official Twitter account.

The video detailed a law enforcement operation in which 2,000 detainees were transferred from other jails and prisons to El Salvador's Center for the Confinement of Terrorism, a new facility intended to house gang members.

The prisoners -- many tattooed with gang imagery -- were made to shuffle in handcuffs as they were led to their new residence.

"Today at dawn, in a single operation, we transferred the first 2,000 gang members to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT)," the translated tweet read. (The tweet was published in Spanish.)

"This will be their new house, where they will live for decades, mixed up, unable to do any more harm to the population."

The prison is slated for an eventual capacity of 40,000 inmates, according to Insider, which, at full capacity, would make it the most populous penal facility in the world, dwarfing the current record-holder of Silivri Penitentiaries Campus in Turkey.

Some inmates in the video bear tattoos marking their affiliation with MS-13, one of the most bloodthirsty and dangerous drug smuggling organizations in the Americas.

The Central American nation has long struggled with the scourge of organized crime and gun violence. Bukele's extra-constitutional approach has caused the nation's homicide rate to drop by 56.8 percent in 2022, according to Reuters.

The Center for the Confinement of Terrorism opened earlier this year in connection with Bukele's stated intention to crack down on the country's crime epidemic, according to the Los Angeles Times.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

Written by: George Upper, The Western Journal

NATIONAL NEWS

SEE ALL

Tennessee Lawmaker Seeks Impeachment Of Vice President Harris

According to The Hill, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) has officially filed impeachment articles against Vice President Kamala Harris. These charges accuse Harris of incompetently managing…
6 hours ago
 • By Benjamin Clark

Shooting At Trump Rally Leaves One Dead, Two Injured

In a shocking incident, a gunman opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, leaving former President Donald Trump wounded and two others severely injured.…
6 hours ago
 • By Benjamin Clark

Clint Eastwood's Longtime Partner Christina Sandera Dies At 61

Christina Sandera, the longtime partner of Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood, passed away at the age of 61 due to natural causes related to heart disease…
7 hours ago
 • By Benjamin Clark

Ella Emhoff: Rising Figure in Fashion and Activism Amidst Political Turmoil

Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris's stepdaughter, has stirred considerable public interest with her candid endorsements and personal expressions intertwined with major US political dynamics. According to…
7 hours ago
 • By Benjamin Clark

New York Confronts Missouri’s Supreme Court Plea In Trump’s Hush Money Case

CNN reported that New York Attorney General Letitia James strongly opposed Missouri's petition to the Supreme Court concerning President Donald Trump's hush money case. Missouri…
7 hours ago
 • By Benjamin Clark

DON'T WAIT.

We publish the objective news, period. If you want the facts, then sign up below and join our movement for objective news:

    LATEST NEWS

    Newsletter

    Get news from American Digest in your inbox.

      By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: American Digest, 3000 S. Hulen Street, Ste 124 #1064, Fort Worth, TX, 76109, US, http://americandigest.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact.
      Christian News Alerts is a conservative Christian publication. Share our articles to help spread the word.
      © 2024 - CHRISTIAN NEWS ALERTS - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
      magnifier