El Salvadoran President Naib Bukele announced the transfer of a second batch of about 2,000 prisoners to the new Sikote terrorist detention center.
Bokila pointed out in a tweet on Twitter that the number of inmates in “the most criticized prison in the world” had reached 4,000 after the arrival of the second batch of prisoners.
The Cicotte Center, which opened Feb. 1 after seven months of construction work, is the largest prison in America, according to Public Works Minister Salvador Romeo Herrera. Its area is 231,000 square meters and it can accommodate 40,000 prisoners.
The prison was built against the background of the introduction of a state of emergency by the authorities to combat armed criminal groups.
President Bukele pointed to a decrease in crime in the country after the introduction of a state of emergency.
Authorities classify members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, the largest armed gang in Central America, as terrorists. Gang members are threatened with 30 years in prison just for belonging to a gang.
El Salvador’s prisons have been overwhelmed since the state of emergency was declared, as more than 60,000 people were arrested, most of whom are awaiting trial in prisons.
Source: News
