Jesuit university reports 569 rights violations in El Salvador in 2025

The Human Rights Institute of the Central American University (Idhuca) recorded 569 cases of rights violations in El Salvador throughout 2025, with arbitrary detentions being the most frequently reported offense. According to a report obtained by EFE, the Salvadoran police and military were identified as the main institutions responsible for these violations.

The report details that the 569 cases affected 645 victims. More than half of these violations occurred after the implementation of a state of exception in 2022, a measure aimed at combating gangs but which suspends certain constitutional guarantees for the general population, including the right to defense.

Idhuca's findings indicate that young men constitute the majority of victims, with 577 cases, alongside 67 women and one transgender woman. The institute highlighted that 73% of those affected are between 18 and 35 years old, underscoring that youth are the most impacted group. Approximately 582 individuals reported experiencing arbitrary detentions, with many stating they lacked basic judicial guarantees and adequate access to legal defense.

The institute concludes that El Salvador has solidified a pattern of deprivation of liberty accompanied by multiple human rights violations under state custody. This pattern, Idhuca explained, primarily affects young men but also impacts women and vulnerable populations, with the state emerging as the main perpetrator of reported abuses. These 2025 cases add to over 6,400 human rights violation complaints registered by various organizations since the state of exception began, alongside more than 500 deaths in state custody, according to NGOs.

Idhuca warns that human rights violations in El Salvador continue to deepen amid the state of exception, power concentration, and limitations on public information access. The report also flags the deterioration of fundamental guarantees and the impact these dynamics have on historically vulnerable populations. The state of exception, a cornerstone of President Nayib Bukele's strategy against gangs and for reducing violence, remains in effect despite numerous calls from human rights organizations to end its implementation. The measure, which enjoys broad public support and contributed to Bukele's re-election, has, according to the government, been instrumental in combating gangs and reclaiming territory.