El Salvador: Police Officers Speak Out About Abuses
Arbitrary Detention Based on Quotas, Fabricated Evidence

Since taking office, the administration of President Nayib Bukele has launched an assault on democratic institutions, including by summarily replacing the attorney general and all the judges in the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber.
In March 2022, pro-Bukele lawmakers adopted a state of emergency, suspending a range of constitutional rights in response to a peak in gang violence. Security forces arrested tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of children, and committed widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture and other ill-treatment of detainees.
Dozens have died in prison. At the same time, authorities report a significant decrease in gang violence, including a drop in homicides. Severe restrictions on access to abortion, harassment and arbitrary criminal proceedings against journalists and civil society organizations, and poor accountability for human rights violations remain serious concerns.
July 3, 2025
DispatchesText Card:
Transgender people in El Salvador face discrimination,
harassment, and violence because their physical
appearance and identity don’t match the name and
gender on their IDs.
My name is Grecia.
My name is Nelson.
My name is Arlette.
Agatha.
Michelle.
Ashley.
Joshua.
Karina.
Cristian.
Gretel.
Gabriel.
Kimberly.
Text Card:
In February 2022, the Supreme Court of El Salvador
ruled that the constitution protects against
discrimination based on gender identity.
It said trans people have a right to their chosen name.
When I went to vote, four different poll workers called me by the name on my ID.
Because I am a trans woman, I didn't have access to a decent education.
Now that classes are online my legal name is always on the screen,
I’ve had to come out to everyone.
I have not seen a doctor for the last two years.
If I get sick, I self-medicate, or find a way to pay for a private doctor.
During the pandemic, I had the flu. Everyone told me to see a doctor. I preferred to stay at home.
Two years ago, I was going to have a pap smear. I was almost denied the service.
In health care centers they always call out my name according to my ID. It's humiliating.
When I transitioned, all employment doors were closed to me
They look at your document and say...
“I know you meet the criteria, but we don’t hire people like you.”
I went as a woman to claim my remittances...
The cashier did not want to assist
me after examining my document.
“You look like a man. Why don’t you put makeup on? You are pretty. Why don't you let your hair grow?”
They take the document and show it to other people. I am the object of ridicule.
For them, we [trans people] are not human.
Text Card:
The legislature should respect the Supreme Court
ruling and reform the law to allow a trans person to
legally modify their name. The law should also
allow them to change the gender marker on their IDs.
Arbitrary Detention Based on Quotas, Fabricated Evidence
Human Rights Abuses Against Children Under El Salvador’s “State of Emergency”
Widespread Human Rights Violations Under El Salvador’s “State of Emergency”
El Salvador’s Need for Legal Gender Recognition
HRW Oral Statement - Universal Periodic Review Outcome Adoption - HRC59
Crackdown Against Civil Society Groups
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New Criminal Amendments Endanger Children
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