Since instituting a "state of emergency," El Salvador's crackdown on the criminal organization known as MS-13 has gained international attention. Although roughly 80% of the country remains in control of gangs, the government's extreme legal measures have depleted their numbers as nearly 153 inmates died behind bars last year--this has prompted social/political debates about human rights in the country. In March, El Salvador transferred alleged 2,000 gang members to a new mega-prison in Tecoluca nicknamed the Terrorism Confinement Center. Images of handcuffed inmates sitting in rows of single-filed lines immediately went viral. The no-nonsense concept seems to have influenced their neighbors in Honduras because last week, the Central American country instituted a similar anti-gang sweep in a maximum prison, where they lined up herds of tattooed gang members in their underwear for a facility-wide crackdown. Much like El Salvador's President, Nayib Bukele, the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, is also facing backlash from human rights advocates over the controversial video footage. In response, Honduran military police commander Ramiro Muñoz said the following.
“These criminals violate people’s human rights," he exclaimed. "They kill, kidnap and extort money. Who is defending those rights?”
The recent crackdown in Honduras stems from a brutal incident where 46 female inmates were murdered at a prison in the city of Tamara during a chaotic riot. According to reports, the riot got so out of hand that it required a response from the country's armed forces.
Source: Instagram
