The Salvadoran non-governmental organization Socorro Jurídico Humanitario (SJH) reported that the number of people who died in El Salvador’s prisons, following their arrest under the state of emergency, has reached at least 554.The state of emergency, in force since March 2022 to allegedly combat gangs, has drawn severe criticism due to deadly conditions in prisons and the lack of due process. The NGO reported that the victims were individuals who had been arrested and either lost their lives or were left to die due to systematic denial of their right to health care.Furthermore, the organization emphasized that 94% of these individuals did not fit the profile of a gang member, and died while in state custody without having received a final conviction in a trial, creating a situation of total impunity.Serious questions about legality and lack of transparency of the state of emergencyThe report by Socorro Jurídico adds that the actual death toll in prisons could exceed 1,000. The organization decried institutional obstacles and deliberate efforts to conceal official information within the mass judicial proceedings spearheaded by President Nayib Bukele.El Salvador: Bukele’s State of Emergency Marks Four YearsTo date, the government has remained silent and has avoided responding to the allegations by humanitarian organizations. The state of emergency, extended 53 consecutive times, suspends fundamental constitutional rights such as the right to defense and the inviolability of communications, resulting in more than 92,480 mass arrests.Social impact and persistent allegations of abuse of powerAlthough the security strategy has high levels of public approval and has facilitated the president’s political continuity, human rights groups are documenting a critical situation. Civil society groups have recorded more than 6,400 complaints of violations of fundamental rights, primarily related to arbitrary detentions and cases of torture in state custody. (Últimas Noticias) by Randolph BorgesTranslation: Orinoco TribuneOT/SC/SH