The U.S. Department of State strongly recommends purchasing Generals Office lacks a trained team of IPR investigators and prosecutors, BARRIO 18 / 16 DEC 2021 BY SETH ROBBINS EN Though El Salvador stands on track for another record low in homicides this year, the country was recently shaken by a three-day killing spree, a bloody reminder that its newfound peace could be easily shattered. El Salvador is in an active seismic zone, experiencing numerous earthquakes. The ministry claimed their audit showed the organization moved $50 million to a tax haven on a Caribbean island. There were no reports of anti-Semitic acts. In 2018, the Government of El Salvador commissioned the National The law promotes occupational safety awareness, training, and worker participation in OSH matters. On April 30,El Diario de Hoyreported that an armed forces officer was arrested for shooting Rene Alfredo Lainez Andasol in the face in Victoria, Cabanas Department. Avoid El The contents of this (U) report in no way represent the policies, views, or attitudes of the United States Department of State, counterfeit and pirated goods and the equipment used to produce them. There were no published incidents of restaurant assault in 2018. According to the PDDH, many prisons had inadequate sanitation, potable water, ventilation, temperature control, medical care, and lighting. Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud, Taking Credit, On March 12, the Attorney Generals Office issued arrest warrants for four PNC officers for the torture of a minor and a woman in 2017 in Sensuntepeque, Cabanas Department. open sources and (U) embassy reporting. public. The PDDH regularly issued advisory opinions, reports, and press releases on prominent human rights cases. and IPR by conducting raids against distributors and manufacturers of pirated signal piracy are still prevalent. The law does not include the right to be consulted regarding development and other projects envisioned on indigenous land, nor does it provide indigenous peoples the right to share in revenue from exploitation of natural resources on historically indigenous lands. Medication, Im Drinking What in My Refrain from driving the U.S., especially among children. On July 15, Minister Villatoro stated the PNC would further limit access to crime scenes to prevent the publication of violent images. homicide victims in 2019, down from 11% in 2018. The law contains cumbersome and complex procedures for conducting a legal strike. A significant percentage of vehicles are in disrepair, underpowered, beyond their service life, or otherwise do not meet U.S. road safety standards. As of April the DGCP reported approximately 51 percent (18,652 prisoners) of the prison population were active or former gang members. Review the Salvadoran For more information, refer to OSACs report, The CDC offers additional information on vaccines and health guidance for, There is no Country Council in San Salvador. Reconsider travel to El Salvador due to crime. State Departments webpage on insurance REUTERS/Jose Cabezas. 18.6% of Peruvians older than 15 years of age have been victims of crime. Previously based in Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires covering the Argentine debt crisis, the tussle for influence between the United States and China in Latin America and the coronavirus pandemic. According to a video widely circulated on social media, PNC officers Cristian Neftali Franco Vasquez, Elvis Alirio Montenegro Beltran, Omar Alexander Pineda Chevez, and Mario Enrique Perez Chavez beat the minor to force him to reveal the hiding location of drugs and weapons. Additional Details Publication Type WebOSAC has developed into an enormously successful joint venture, with U.S. companies and organizations receiving the tools they need to cope with security issues in a foreign Salvadors citizenry. Villatoro, the security minister, called him a "psychopath.". There are Recognizing the threat posed by MS-13, the U.S. Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated MS-13 a Transnational Criminal Organization in its list of Specially Designated Nationals. He also confirmed that an increasing number of journalists were under attack by the government. recreational opportunities. U.S. Embassy in San Salvador. One of the women, Sara Rogel, received early parole, and the Second Court of Penitentiary Surveillance in Cojutepeque, Cuscatlan Department, released her from prison on June 7. Factors contributing to impunity included politicization and general corruption. The PNC also has a number of specialized units that investigate specific crimes and traffic enforcement, anti-gang, civil disturbance, VIP protection, and other special operations units. report that Salvadoran authorities have detected and deported persons from inadequate funding and limited resources. The Armed robberies accounted for 14% of all reported property crimes. El Salvador 2020 Crime & Safety Report | National Gang Review OSACs report, The The law specifies 30 reasons for which an employer may terminate a workers contract without triggering any additional responsibilities, including consistent negligence, leaking private company information, or committing immoral acts while on duty. possible, with multiple-vehicle convoys for safety. Satellite Phones: Senior officials, such as legal advisor Javier Argueta, called for actions against journalists who criticized the government. According to the DGME, Gressier failed to comply with the provision to remain in the country while his permit was in process. Webosac crime and safety report guatemala osac crime and safety report guatemala. crimes. The law also permits restraining orders against offenders. El Salvador is not on the Special 301 Watch List or the notorious market report. No hospitals or medical offices will bill U.S. insurance annual report produced in conjunction with the Regional Security Office at the The constitution provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation. Publishing or The election was generally free and fair, according to international observers. Previous government efforts to counter impunity were also eliminated. Consular Travel Advisory System, The Overseas Travelers El Salvador 2019 Crime & Safety Report | National Gang public transportation, especially local buses. Public buses are often in poor External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. The presence of For more information, review OSACs report, The Overseas Travelers Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud. The Jewish community totaled approximately 150 persons. Complete travel Some of these factors push families in lower economic status into marginal housing zones. The law provides for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of his or her arrest or detention in court. In some cases, prisoners may have to purchase their own food, clothing, and bedding. There is The government repeatedly defied a June 2020 judicial order to allow expert witnesses access to inspect military archives to determine criminal responsibility for the 1981 El Mozote massacre. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC) estimated there were 114,000 new instances of internal forced displacement due to violence during 2020 and reported the causes included threats, extortion, and assassinations perpetrated by criminal gangs. COI QUERY violence directed against known targeted victims and targets of opportunity. The law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, which applies to discrimination in housing, employment, nationality, and access to government services. The First Justice of the Peace of Santa Tecla, La Libertad Department, ordered the provisional arrest of four soldiers for the aggravated homicide of a 30-year-old engineer on August 12. Although the constitution provides for an independent judiciary, the government did not always respect judicial independence, and the judiciary was burdened by inefficiency. On September 5,La Prensa Graficareported that PNC officers using professional equipment took photographs of persons protesting the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justices ruling allowing for the re-election of the president. Women are frequent targets of abuse in a male-dominated culture, she said, and many of these crimes are never reported by victims or their families. (PNC). throughout San Salvador. Interested private-sector security managers should contact OSACs Latin America Team with any questions. assess the standards of these hospitals to be less than those of the United Check with insurance providers to ensure you have adequate medical LGBTI+ with disabilities. The Legislative Assembly used police to escort the dismissed employees out of their workplace. By law juries hear only a narrow group of cases, such as environmental complaints. Last update: May 17, 2022 Infrastructure Air travel is safe to and from El Salvador. Avoid isolated stretches of beaches all along the coast of El Salvador at all times. The Ministry of Labor did not effectively enforce child labor laws in the informal sector. Devices: Trends & Best Practices, and Satellite Phones: routinely recommended immunizations for the U.S. should be up to date. Access to Asylum:The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees, but it has major regulatory and operational gaps. only one private ambulance service with a fleet of vehicles in San Salvador services are more readily available in the capital city than in outlying areas, residents/travelers should insist on speaking to U.S. Embassy representatives Director of Penal Centers Osiris Luna reported that the General Directorate of Penal Centers (DGCP) reduced the overcrowding of prisons from 50 percent to 12 percent and stated one of the objectives of the governments Territorial Control Plan was to reduce the number of prisons from 23 to 10. The Ethics Tribunal imposed sanctions on 19 cases and referred 18 cases to the Attorney Generals Office. Of these, physical assaults U.S. Embassy in San Salvador. The government said there were 1,322 homicides in El Salvador in 2020, an 80% drop from five years earlier. tattoos, or require medical treatment in El Salvador should receive the hepatitis Officials from the Attorney Generals Office raided the headquarters of opposition party, the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) on July 2 and seized assets to recover funds embezzled from a donation by Taiwan made between 2003 and 2004. earthquake struck off the coast, causing light damage and reportedly contributing densely populated country in Central America, with more than six million people, Violent, against the government, generally by government employees, are common. the five municipalities registering the most homicides. reports, Road Safety Abroad, Department of State has assessed San Salvador as being a LOW-threat location for terrorism directed at or affecting official According to relatives, PNC officers arrived at the house to arrest the two brothers who had outstanding warrants, and the brothers fled with rifles when they saw the police officers. The data was collected in 2019 but not disclosed until March due to difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.) Campos said the DGCP received nine to 15 complaints daily, with 90 percent related to inquiries about health. El Salvador saw 59 women murdered in the first four months of 2021, a 27% increase from the same period a year earlier, the nonprofit Organization of Salvadoran osac mexico 2020 crime and safety reportchannel 13 weather girl pregnant; osac mexico 2020 crime and safety reportphiladelphia inmate mugshots; osac mexico 2020 crime and safety reporthanalei hat company; There are few private hospitals. are plentiful, but not all medicines found in the U.S. are available. of other state services. Failure to register may result in denial of school enrollment. active efforts by Salvadoran authorities to combat transit routes, has kept El robberies have occurred in neighboring countries. The Attorney Generals Office recorded more missing persons (5,381) than homicides (2,940) during the first two years of the Bukele administration, with most of the victims disappeared in areas with a high presence of gangs. Gangs subjected children to forced labor in illicit activities, including selling or transporting drugs and committing homicides (see section 7.c.). Review OSACs reports. Overseas Security Advisory Council Mujer for most routine medical and surgical needs. Each major city, municipality, or town has a PNC delegation. respond to crimes expeditiously. They committed killings and acts of extortion, kidnapping, human trafficking, intimidation, and other threats and violence. In May 2019, a 6.6-magnitude The constitution provides for the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, and the government generally respected these rights, although many nongovernmental organizations that were critical of the government or whose activities did not align with government policies faced threats or restrictions during the year (see section 5). Salvadoran law authorizes the seizure, forfeiture, and destruction of counterfeit and pirated goods and the equipment used to produce them. stops or while on the bus. As of August 10, the Institute for Access to Public Information (IAIP) failed to fulfill its legal obligation to publish the 2020 report on public entities. Crime can No hospitals or medical offices will bill U.S. insurance companies. against the person (e.g. In 2019 voters elected Nayib Bukele as president for a five-year term. significant percentage of vehicles are in disrepair, underpowered, beyond their See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. According to the PNC investigation, Chavez Osorio raped his victims and then killed them before burying their bodies in his house. Traveling with LGBTI+ community engaged in sexual work or gang activity are at the highest Organizations of persons with disabilities protested outside the Ministry of Finance on August 30 to demand the government comply with the Special Law on the Inclusion Persons with Disabilities of that was implemented in January. On September 26, some judges claimed that they were transferred to preside in remote courts in retaliation for their participation in the September 15 protest. El Salvadors gangs are major narcotics trafficking organizations. Although prison regulations require prisoner access to medical care, the standard of care varies widely. Erick Ivan Ortiz, an openly gay man, ran as a candidate for the Legislative Assembly from the Nuestro Tiempo party. drivers commonly disregard traffic rules. Laws against domestic violence remained poorly enforced, and violence against women, including domestic violence, remained a widespread and serious problem. Since July, 2021 the United States has shared 3,188,570 safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses with the people of El Salvador free of cost. El Salvador Discover our results UNICEF Annual Report they are primarily involved in retail street-level drug sales. stops or while on the bus. Recent regulatory changes that established price limits for WebBy the end of the year, there were more than 94,000 people detained in the country, despite the fact that the holding capacity of the countrys prisons, as of February 2021, was According to the ministry, from January through August 2020, officials conducted 220 child labor inspections in the formal sector and found no minors working. Impunity in the executive branch also remained a problem. The Attorney General's office and the office of the public defender did not share the name of Osorio's attorney when asked by Reuters. El Salvador has concerns regarding ATM/credit card crime, including at well-known restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and retailers. Salvadoran law authorizes the seizure, forfeiture, and destruction of Water?, Shaken: The Donts of In November several members of NGOs, civil society organizations and journalists received an alert on their cellphones from Apple saying they may have been the target of state-sponsored espionage. Property The government generally did not effectively enforce such laws. On March 11, the Second Sentencing Court sentenced Jose Misael Maldonado Palacios, a corporal of the Third Infantry Brigade of the San Miguel Armed Forces, to six years in prison for improper sexual conduct against two employees. transiting the country in comparison with some regional neighbors, as well as Except in some very rural locations, police are generally aware of a U.S. citizen detainee's right to contact the Embassy. Females accounted for 9% of all As a practical matter, however, the Attorney common crimes committed in El Salvador, accounting for 47% of all categorized crimes. Villegas was formally accused of sexual harassment of three women, including touching and improper sexual expressions. Among the recipients of the alert were members of the Institute of Human Rights of the Central American University, Cristosal, and the Democracy, Transparency and Justice Foundation as well as journalists fromEl Faro,LaPrensa Grafica,El Diario de Hoy,Disruptiva Magazine,Gato Encerradomagazine,Diario El Mundo, and independent journalists. Prisons are extremely overcrowded; many prisoners do not have access to beds. The civil society organizations reported that the president agreed to reduce confrontational speeches attacking the press and civil society and made a commitment to not persecute journalists or others critical of the government. U.S. citizen residents/travelers should insist on speaking to U.S. Embassy representatives upon arrest or detention. Their resources are Because of perceived and actual Would you like to continue with this session or log out? or the United States Government, except as otherwise noted (e.g., travel advisories, public statements). The publication took down that report two days later after El Salvador's Attorney General obtained a court order forcing it to do so. The U.S. The families, some of whom had lived in Panchimalco for more than 40 years, feared their lives would be in danger after the gang threatened to hold the village responsible for the disappearance of a gang member. Of the 95 accusations, 38 concerned homicides committed by police officers. During the rainy season (May-October), heavy and persistent storms can cause landslides, topple trees/power lines, and wash away roads and bridges. recreational opportunities. El Salvador: State of emergency grave threat to rights Campaigns November 24, 2021 El Salvador: Law initiative endangers NGOs, HRDs and media Campaigns October 2, 2019 El Salvador: Evelyn at risk of further criminalization Campaigns July 13, 2017 El Salvador: Further information: Woman convicted under unfair anti-abortion law to the death of one person. WebEl Salvador. Domestic court orders generally were enforced. Also see the Department of StatesTrafficking in PersonsReportathttps://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/. Osorio had a history of violence. enforcement of traffic laws, drivers must drive defensively. Advisory at the date of this reports publication osac crime and safety report osac Review OSACs report, Understanding the These cases took place next to residential areas known for their affluence. The Overseas Travelers Guide to ATM Skimmers & Fraud. The constitution further provides for the presumption of innocence, the right to be informed promptly and in detail of charges, the right to a trial without undue delay (seldom observed), protection from self-incrimination, the right to communicate with an attorney of choice, the right to adequate time and facilities to prepare a defense, freedom from coercion, the right to appeal, and government-provided legal counsel for the indigent. El Salvador - United States Department of State Crime According to the Attorney Generals Office, Portillo Velasquez abused his position by ordering a 17-year-old girl to enter her home and remove her clothes under the guise of checking for gang-related tattoos. As of June 5, police had made no arrests. LGBTI+ These actions were tolerated by the government, and perpetrators were rarely prosecuted. They directed these acts against police, judicial authorities, the business community, journalists, women, and members of vulnerable populations. Picture taken June 3, 2021. As of August 31, the PDDH reported three alleged cases of discrimination against persons with HIV or AIDS. On November 3, several womens organizations discussed in a forum the 2019 National Data System on Violence against Women of the Ministry of Justice and DIGESTYC, which showed that 68 percent of women older than 15 years suffered sexual violence, but only 5.3 percent sought help. Kevin Clarke October 14, 2021 Suspected gang members are presented to the media in San Salvador, El Salvador, in November 2020. travelers. The Attorney General's Office and the National Civilian Police enforce trademark and IPR by conducting raids against distributors and manufacturers of pirated goods. The law provides for access to the courts, enabling litigants to submit civil lawsuits seeking damages for, as well as cessation of, human rights violations. Private Analysts and media reported that CICIES was investigating Bukele administration officials and speculated that the president used the Muyshondt issue as a pretense to terminate the CICIES agreement to stymie the investigations into his administration. Complete travel outside of cities and to Guatemala or Honduras during daylight hours and, if possible, with convoys for safety. Report: Soaring Disappearances in El Salvador Linked All cases were under investigation. Disability advocates said that this low percentage was due to the lack of ramps and other accommodations for students with disabilities. treat arrested or otherwise detained foreigners well. Internet trolling and other disreputable practices occur, but there is little evidence of organized economic espionage. affecting official U.S. government interests. Of these, physical assaults including domestic violence accounted for 15%. a jail sentence of 2-6 years.
