El Salvador closed 2024 with a record low 114 homicides, continuing notable security gains under a second full year of a state of emergency that has given the government extraordinary powers and curtailed some fundamental rights

Summary

El Salvador ended 2024 with a record low 114 homicides, equivalent to 1.9 per 100,000 people, making it the safest country in the Western Hemisphere according to President Nayib Bukele.

The drop follows two years under a state of emergency aimed at eradicating gang violence, granting authorities sweeping powers but limiting civil rights.

Over 83,000 arrests have been made, though 354 detainees reportedly died in custody.

While criticized for human rights violations, Bukele’s crackdown has drastically improved security, boosting his popularity.

    • Stovetop@lemmy.worldEnglish
      201·
      3 days ago

      I have to wonder what their suicide rate is like, though.

      From a Terry Pratchett book:

      Murder was in fact a fairly uncommon event in Ankh-Morpork, but there were a lot of suicides. Walking in the night-time alleyways of The Shades was suicide. Asking for a short in a dwarf bar was suicide. Saying “Got rocks in your head?” to a troll was suicide. You could commit suicide very easily, if you weren’t careful.

    • eldavi@lemmy.mlEnglish
      81·
      2 days ago

      are there enough people left outside of the salvadoran prison system to even engage in war? lol