• International experts conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that, under the state of emergency, which will have been in effect for four years on March 27, crimes against humanity are being committed: arbitrary imprisonment, torture, murder, forced disappearances, sexual violence, and persecution. The investigation indicates that these acts are the result of a policy known and promoted by the highest levels of government.
• The figures are overwhelming: more than 89,000 people have been arbitrarily detained or detained without due process; President Bukele himself publicly acknowledged “that at least 8,000 were innocent;” 403 deaths in prisons as of August 2025, including four children; and 540 cases of forced disappearance as of February 2025.
• They recognize that El Salvador has an unavoidable duty to combat violence and guarantee citizen security, but that responsibility cannot be exercised by committing international crimes.
• They urge the United Nations Human Rights Council to create an international mission to determine human rights violations in order to ensure accountability and justice for the victims; and they recommend that the State of El Salvador establish an independent commission to review cases with international support; as well as put an end to the state of emergency and the accompanying criminal reforms, which violate international law.
In an international initiative, the International Group of Experts for the Investigation of Human Rights Violations under the State of Emergency in El Salvador (GIPES) presented its final report entitled: “El Salvador at the Crossroads: Crimes against Humanity under the Public Security Policy.” GIPES is made up of five internationally recognized jurists: Susana SáCouto, Claudia Martin, Gino Costa, José Guevara, and Santiago Canton. The report is supported by the Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), InterJust, the IMPACTUM Research Project, and the Program for the Study of Human Rights in Context at Ghent University (Belgium).
To prepare the report, which includes a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the state of emergency on democracy and the rule of law in El Salvador, GIPES reviewed journalistic investigations, official information, national and international reports, and met with victims, civil society, academics, lawyers, and journalists.
The report concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that, under the state of emergency, crimes against humanity are being committed in accordance with Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The documented cases indicate the existence of a policy of police and military action, known and promoted even by the highest ranks of President Nayib Bukele’s government.
“In this context, and in accordance with the standards applied by the ICC, the documented facts point to the commission of international crimes against the civilian population, including imprisonment in violation of fundamental norms of international law—including the detention of children and adolescents—torture, murder, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, persecution, and other inhumane acts,” said Susana SáCouto.
The documented figures reveal the magnitude of the problem. The application of the state of emergency, which will have been in force for four years without interruption this month, has led to the detention without due process of more than 89,000 people. President Bukele himself publicly acknowledged that “at least 8,000 detainees were innocent.” As of August 2025, 403 deaths in state custody have been documented, including four children, and as of February 2025, 540 cases of enforced disappearance had been recorded.
“The figures speak for themselves: these are not isolated cases, but a policy in which crimes are committed on a large scale and in a systematic manner,” said José Guevara.
“The indefinite extension of the state of emergency and the adoption of dozens of legislative decrees modifying criminal, criminal procedural, and juvenile criminal justice regulations, together with the capture of the judiciary, have consolidated a legal framework that allows for the systematic violation of fundamental rights such as the right not to be arbitrarily deprived of liberty, not to be subjected to torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, to life, and to due process, for thousands of Salvadorans,” said Claudia Martin.
GIPES emphasized that, while the State has an unavoidable duty to combat violence and guarantee citizen security, this responsibility cannot be exercised by committing international crimes. Its exercise must be guided by adherence to the rule of law and international human rights standards. Failure to comply with this principle carries the risk that the State itself will become a source of violence, contravening the values it is supposed to defend.
GIPES identified the institutional breaking point in May 2021, when the ruling party-dominated Legislative Assembly dismissed the judges of the Constitutional Chamber and the Attorney General. This captured Chamber endorsed presidential reelection, ignoring the constitutional prohibition; in 2025, a reform was approved that enabled unlimited reelection. The government has also promoted campaigns to stigmatize and criminalize civil society and the press. In May 2025, the Foreign Agents Law imposed severe restrictions on organizations that receive international funding.
Given this situation, GIPES made urgent recommendations. At the international level, it urges the United Nations Human Rights Council to create an international mission to determine human rights violations in order to ensure accountability and justice for victims and to promote international criminal investigations that guarantee accountability. It recommends that the Salvadoran authorities establish an independent commission to review the cases of persons detained under the state of emergency, with international support, in order to address the prison crisis; end the state of emergency; and reverse the accompanying criminal justice reforms that violate international law.
The report was presented at two public events. The first was during a hearing at the 195th session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), held on Monday, March 10, in Guatemala. The hearing is available on the IACHR YouTube channel.
The second discussion of the report’s findings took place at a side event to the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday, March 11. The event is available here.
The executive summary and full report are available here.
Press contact: Karen Arita, Communications Coordinator, gipes.elsalvador@proton.me
