El Salvador's President, Nayib Bukele, stood firm in defending his security policies against criticisms from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The UN office had issued a document urging reforms in the country's juvenile justice system.
On March 31st, Bukele took to social media platform X to assert, "We refuse to return to the past," highlighting the detrimental impact international organizations have had on Salvadoran policies in the past.
"Do you remember April 27, 1994? Maybe you don't, but we do," Bukele remarked, referencing the enactment of the Juvenile Offenders Law, which was influenced by international recommendations following a civil war that claimed 85,000 lives.
Bukele argued that this law introduced lenient penalties for minors under 18, which led to widespread impunity. He noted that three years later, under President Bill Clinton's administration, Salvadorans involved in gangs were deported from the United States to El Salvador, where they exploited the legal system by recruiting minors.
"These newly arrived gang members began recruiting almost exclusively minors, all capable of committing heinous crimes with perhaps only the risk of facing a MINIMAL SENTENCE in a lenient facility," the president pointed out.
As per Bukele, the outcome was catastrophic, with these gangs evolving into "the most brutal criminal organizations worldwide," effectively holding "80% of the country hostage," establishing "a parallel government," and resulting in "a quarter of a million dead and missing, along with 2 million displaced," thus turning El Salvador into "the murder capital of the world."
Bukele ended his message by explicitly rejecting the UN's recommendations: "Take your social experiments to other countries that haven't endured what we have; maybe they'll believe you (hopefully not)."
This exchange takes place amidst continuous international scrutiny of Bukele's security policies, particularly the state of emergency enforced since March 27, 2022, and extended more than forty times. Under this regime, over 81,000 arrests have been made, including more than 3,200 minors.
In February 2025, the Legislative Assembly passed reforms mandating the transfer of juvenile offenders to adult prisons, a move condemned by the UN, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International as a significant setback.
Despite the criticism, Bukele defends the outcomes of his policies: the homicide rate plummeted from over 100 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015 to 1.9 in 2025, with the country experiencing more than 900 consecutive days without recorded homicides.
In his address to the UN General Assembly in September 2024, Bukele had already signaled his stance: "We have imprisoned thousands, but the reality is we have freed millions."
Understanding Bukele's Security Policies in El Salvador
What changes did the Juvenile Offenders Law introduce in El Salvador?
The Juvenile Offenders Law introduced lenient penalties for minors under 18, leading to widespread impunity and enabling gangs to recruit adolescents without significant legal repercussions.
Why is Bukele's government under international scrutiny?
Bukele's government faces international scrutiny due to its security policies, particularly the extended state of emergency and reforms that transfer juvenile offenders to adult prisons, which have been criticized as human rights setbacks.
How have Bukele's policies impacted El Salvador's crime rates?
Bukele's policies have significantly reduced crime rates, with the homicide rate dropping from over 100 per 100,000 people in 2015 to 1.9 in 2025, and the country experiencing over 900 days with no homicides recorded.