El Salvador’s Congress has approved a law allowing minors convicted of serious gang-related crimes to be housed in adult prisons, though in separate areas. The move is part of President Nayib Bukele’s ongoing crackdown on organized crime.
The new law applies to children under 18 who are gang members convicted of major crimes, including:
✔ Homicide
✔ Kidnapping
✔ Arms trafficking
📢 "This will prevent them from receiving the same criminal treatment as those who have committed less serious crimes," Congress said in a statement.
Why It Matters
Since 2022, Bukele’s government has implemented a state of emergency, suspending constitutional rights and introducing mass trials. His administration has also built a mega-prison to house thousands of detainees.
Rights groups allege that prisoners, including minors, have been tortured, though the government denies these claims.
Meanwhile, the United States is assessing a plan to send U.S. citizens convicted of crimes to Salvadoran prisons.
By the Numbers
📊 Official figures on detained minors remain scarce, but:
1,065 minors were convicted under El Salvador’s state of emergency (as of February 2023).
More than 3,300 children were detained between March 2022 and December 2023, according to Human Rights Watch.
Before the crackdown, the annual average for minors in juvenile detention centers was 805 (2018-2021).
What’s Next?
El Salvador’s hardline security policies continue to draw international scrutiny, with human rights concerns clashing against the government’s claim of restoring order.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks in Tehran on Monday on bilateral ties and efforts t...
Four major German political foundations have halted their work in Georgia as tighter rules on foreign grants put pressure on a decades-old partners...
The U.S. has deployed two additional Patriot missile batteries to the Gulf, protecting key energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as Washingto...
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 5 October 2026. These are the top five elections making headlines around the world.
The United States has withdrawn all 12 of its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain, just a week after several people were arrested over an alleged plot targeting the air base.
Australian counterterrorism authorities are examining the links of the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to take control of a flydubai flight bound for Israel. Authorities in New Zealand have also said they are investigating reports the suspect had spent time in that country.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday called a snap election for 29 November in a bid to strengthen his mandate after a fragmented parliament rejected the government's key housing decrees last week amid widespread protests.
King Charles’ younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has launched legal action against Thames Valley Police over his arrest in connection with an investigation into documents allegedly passed to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Telegraph reported on Sunday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment