El Salvador, President Bukele announces releases for only 5 thousand prisoners

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, has corrected previously released news about a possible release of almost half of the inmates linked to criminal gangs. The head of state specified that the early release measure will concern approximately 5,000 individuals, a number equal to approximately 50% of the 10,629 prisoners classified as occasional collaborators, and not all of the over 96,000 people arrested.

These inmates will be able to obtain penitentiary benefits by participating in the "Cero Ocio" program, an initiative dedicated to carrying out public utility work. “So, of those 10,000 we will review the cases and we believe, in a preliminary review, that about 50% could come into the program to be able to get out more quickly, rehabilitated, instead of waiting 10 years for more criminals to get out,” Bukele said.

The clarification came during the meeting with the president of Costa Rica Laura Fernández. An exceptional regime has been in place in El Salvador since March 2022 which, despite international criticism, continues to enjoy broad support from citizens.