By AFP | 2024-11-20

SOYAPANGO, El Salvador -- Two years after his son was arrested at home in El Salvador during an anti-gang raid, Reynaldo Santos is desperate to see him, however briefly, to know if he is still alive.

He is one of several parents demanding "proof of life" after their children were imprisoned as part of President Nayib Bukele's crackdown on street gangs.

In his home in Soyapango, a town near the capital San Salvador that was once controlled by the feared Mara Salvatrucha gang, Santos shares photos of Jonathan, 22, and a file about his case.

"I can't be sure that he's alive," the 57-year-old baker said, pointing to official documents from March and October indicating that his son had "gastritis."

Jonathan Santos, a factory worker with no criminal record, was arrested in December 2022 when soldiers and police surrounded Soyapango as part of the "war" on gangs declared by Bukele that year.

Almost a third of the 83,000 Salvadorans who have been detained under a state of emergency -- which allows arrests without a court order -- are innocent, estimates the rights group Socorro Juridico Humanitario.

Eight thousand innocent suspects were arrested and later released, Bukele acknowledged on November 12, accusing activists of inventing a much higher figure.

"No police anywhere in the world are perfect," he said.

In El Salvador, prison visits are prohibited, inmates are held incommunicado and many families do not know their locations or conditions.

Reynaldo Santos brings food or clothing to La Esperanza prison in San Salvador every month without knowing whether his son will receive them.

'Alive or dead'

Relatives of detainees are growing increasingly distressed following reports from Amnesty International and other human rights organizations of more than 300 deaths in Salvadoran prisons since 2022.

In the farming community of Jiquilisco, about 100km southeast of San Salvador, residents told AFP that the police took 21 young people in one year.

One of them, Emilio Villalta, returned in a coffin.

Eduardo, a veteran in his 30s, was among those arrested.

His father, Pablo Rivera, a 54-year-old farmer, has done everything he can think of to see him.

"I want to know whether my son is alive or dead," he said.

Under the slogan "proof of life," several NGOs launched a campaign in October to demand prisoner visits and the release of inmates' medical certificates.

"Thousands of people are in an inhumane and totally desperate situation," Mirna Perla, a rights activist and former Supreme Court judge, told AFP.

In response to criticism, Justice and Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro insisted that authorities have acted "responsibly" and "ensure that there are no abuses."

He accused the NGOs of serving "criminals."

Like many detainees, Jonathan Santos was accused of belonging to an "illegal" organization.

A police officer said that a video game he had in his home was a "gangster game," according to his father, who has a picture of his son's graduation hanging on his wall.

"I thought [the state of emergency] was for gang members, not for innocent people," he said.

Plea to president

In her home in Jiquilisco, 52-year-old Jesus Alvarado said that her son Jose, a 27-year-old tractor driver, was still behind bars despite two court orders for his immediate release.

She was dismayed to learn that he had been taken to a mega-prison that holds inmates considered by authorities to be the most dangerous gangsters, the mother of six said between sobs.

"I'm asking the president to let me see my son... or have a phone call. I haven't seen him in three years," she said.

Ingrid Escobar, a lawyer with Socorro Juridico Humanitario, told AFP that authorities have failed to comply with hundreds of release orders.

One young businessman, Melvin Ortiz, had 24 such orders in his favor but was freed only after an appeal to the United Nations.

Reynaldo Santos does not yet dare to dream of such an outcome.

He wants to see his son "even for a minute" to tell him that he is fighting for him.