Injusticia intencionada: La destrucción del Estado de derecho en El Salvador

The implementation of the State of Emergency in El Salvador since March 2022 is not solely or primarily a public security or gang dismantling strategy. Despite apparent public support, there is abundant evidence of the current Salvadoran government’s intention to inflict cruelty and suffering on society. The State of Emergency must be understood as encompassing: a set of political and electoral practices that limit the exercise of democracy; the establishment of a single-party regime; institutional dismantling; provisions for information control and harassment of free expression; suppression of due process and enforced disappearances; repressive security policies; and structural corruption protected under the same regime. Hence, it is possible to affirm that in El Salvador there is a systematic and integrated set of strategies aimed to destroy the rule of law and perpetuate injustice.