SEE THE PHOTOS: Inside Brutal El Salvador Mega Prison Where THOUSANDS of MS-13 Gang Members Are Kept in Cramped Cells After Merciless Crackdown
Dramatic images surfaced this week that offered a shocking glimpse inside one of El Salvador's most brutal mega prisons.
June 12 2024, Published 5:00 p.m. ET
Dramatic images surfaced this week that offered a shocking glimpse inside one of El Salvador's most brutal mega prisons where thousands of the nation’s most dangerous gang members are being kept, RadarOnline.com can report.
The startling images surfaced on Wednesday and were taken at the Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT).
The startling images surfaced on Wednesday and were taken at the Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism.
The CECOT was described as a maximum-security facility located in the municipality of Tecoluca where thousands of gang members – primarily from the notorious MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs – are being imprisoned.
The inmates, who were pictured as heavily tattooed and topless, were said to be closely monitored by masked guards around the clock amid their incarceration, according to Daily Mail.
This shocking move was said to be part of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's relentless crackdown on narco gangs across the country.
Overseeing the arrests of more than 70,000 individuals in just 20 months, President Bukele's goal is reportedly to eliminate crime from the streets of El Salvador.
This shocking move was said to be part of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's relentless crackdown on narco gangs across the country.
His uncompromising stance led to the construction of the CECOT in January 2023 – the facility designed to detain the most violent and high-ranking gang members in the country.
The CECOT reportedly operates as a fortress of high security with artificial light illuminating the cells 24 hours a day. Inmates are forced to eat with their hands as utensils are considered potentially lethal weapons.
With prisoners allowed only a brief 30-minute respite from their cells each day, the atmosphere inside the brutal mega prison was described as claustrophobic and restrictive.
The mega complex also recently witnessed the transfer of 2,000 more prisoners, according to Daily Mail, which was conducted under tight surveillance by armed guards.
The CECOT was described as a maximum-security facility located in Tecoluca where thousands of MS-13 gang members are being imprisoned.
The inmates, who were all reportedly transported with their hands cuffed behind them, were required to sit with their hands on their necks and heads down as they awaited placement in their new cells.
These overcrowded cells house the most dangerous individuals in the country, with many serving multiple life sentences of up to 700 years.
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Human rights groups have since described the CECOT as a “blackhole of human rights” and drew comparisons to the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.
Despite reassurances from officials, additional reports indicated instances of torture and violent deaths within the facility.
Human rights groups described the brutal mega prison as a “blackhole of human rights."
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The prison's harsh conditions have also sparked global condemnation and raised further concerns about the treatment and wellbeing of the inmates.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, El Salvador's ongoing struggle with gang violence dates back to the aftermath of the nation’s civil war in the 1980s.
Gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18 – both born on the streets of Los Angeles – gained traction upon the return of refugees from California to El Salvador.
Over the years, these gangs have expanded their reach and engaged in various criminal activities that continue to cause widespread fear and instability in both El Salvador and the United States.
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