As El Salvador’s state of exception continues, relatives of detainees gathered at San Salvador’s metropolitan cathedral Saturday to mourn prison deaths and call for fair trials for those still held.
Reuters reported that families held a remembrance on the cathedral steps for people who died in custody and relatives still detained. Attendees also prayed at the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero and carried flowers, banners and photographs of jailed relatives.
Many people at the gathering had no contact with detained family members after the arrests; some had no confirmation that their loved ones were alive. Natalia Funes, a 61-year-old farmer from Puerto El Triunfo in Usulutan province, attended hoping to learn more about her son, Oscar Orlando Rodriguez. Funes said she has not heard from Rodriguez since his July 2022 arrest.
President Nayib Bukele imposed El Salvador’s state of exception four years ago; Reuters reported that the measure has allowed security forces to take more than 90,000 people into custody. Reuters reported that Cristosal, a human rights organization, has tallied 454 prison deaths linked to people detained under the measure.
The Mothers for Freedom movement’s spokeswoman, Liliana Urias, 44, said some members had lost sons, brothers or their children’s fathers. “We are here in memory of all the innocent people who have died under the state of exception,” Urias said.
The gathering came ahead of the Day of the Dead, observed Nov. 1 and 2 in several Latin American countries.
