- 5/31/2025
With more than 3,000 homicides per year for a population of six million, El Salvador has long held the record of being the most dangerous country in the world. This insecurity was caused by gang warfare between MS13 and Barrio 18. To combat this violence, El Salvador’s young president, Nayib Bukele, declared a ruthless war on gangs. Over 75,000 people accused of being members of MS 13 and Barrio 18 have been arrested and thrown into prison. An extraordinary penitentiary was built especially for them: the CECOT (Terrorism Containment Center). It’s the biggest prison in the world. We gained exclusive access. Fifteen thousand prisoners are locked up here, most of whom will never leave alive. The prison is the symbol of a relentless crackdown on gangs by the 42-year-old president.
The policy of repression is bearing fruit. Neighborhoods that were once run by killers are now calm. Buoyed by the support of the population, who are delighted to be living in peace at last, the President continues his merciless manhunt for gang members. The last ones still at large are fleeing abroad. We spoke to one former gang member, now on the run.
But, as documented by Amnesty International, the crackdown has also resulted in systemic human rights abuses. The police are under pressure to meet arrest quotas, innocent people have been arrested and their families struggle to get them released. These “blunders” do not thwart President Bukele’s security policy. To show that his country is now totally secure, last November he organized the Miss Universe election and has embraced his title of ’the world’s coolest dictator’.
The policy of repression is bearing fruit. Neighborhoods that were once run by killers are now calm. Buoyed by the support of the population, who are delighted to be living in peace at last, the President continues his merciless manhunt for gang members. The last ones still at large are fleeing abroad. We spoke to one former gang member, now on the run.
But, as documented by Amnesty International, the crackdown has also resulted in systemic human rights abuses. The police are under pressure to meet arrest quotas, innocent people have been arrested and their families struggle to get them released. These “blunders” do not thwart President Bukele’s security policy. To show that his country is now totally secure, last November he organized the Miss Universe election and has embraced his title of ’the world’s coolest dictator’.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00A special operation in El Salvador, Central America.
00:14A show of strength staged and filmed by the government.
00:22CICOT, the terrorist containment center, has installed a high security system.
00:30500 soldiers, heavily armed, are preparing to greet an unusual convoy of 2,000 ultra-dangerous prisoners.
00:44These men are gang members known as Maras in El Salvador.
00:48Murder, sexual assault, racketeering.
00:59These crime groups have wreaked havoc in the country for over 20 years.
01:03Stripped to the waist in their boxer shorts with their hands tied, the whole show is designed to humiliate them.
01:17The brand-new prison they are arriving at was designed especially for them.
01:34CICOT is the largest prison in America.
01:37CICOT is the largest prison in El Salvador.
01:57With this footage, the authorities in El Salvador are showing the country and the whole world.
02:02that they are waging a full-scale war against these gangs.
02:18And that they intend to lock them up in these communal cells holding up to 80 people.
02:32From now on, they will live crammed together, without ever receiving a single visitor.
02:53El Salvador, in Central America, is a small country of 6 million people, about the size
03:00of Brittany. For 20 years, it has been the most dangerous country in the world.
03:073,000 homicides a year, 30 times more than in France in relation to the population.
03:24Kidnapping, murder, racketeering.
03:30Gangs have taken over the country, killing each other and terrorizing its citizens.
03:45But on June the 1st, 2019, El Salvador's fate changed.
03:55Nayib Bukele, age 37, was elected President of the Republic.
03:59This former advertising executive declared war on gangs.
04:07We can end up with this cancer.
04:11Now they are hiding like cats, literally.
04:13I don't say it as a press.
04:15For cats, of course.
04:16The president is waging a relentless war against them, hunting them down across the country.
04:22As a result, the prison population has tripled in four years.
04:26A special penitentiary has been built, the C-Cot, the largest prison in Latin America.
04:33In the streets, the population is starting to find its feet again.
04:49To show that his country has changed, President Bukele has just organized and even part-funded the Miss Universe Contest.
05:03But some people are speaking out.
05:18NGOs are condemning the very strict holding conditions.
05:21And random arrests.
05:30I'm going to explain what's going on, because I don't know.
05:32The colonies, they had gone to die.
05:35And to cover the C-Cup.
05:37An investigation into one of the world's most oppressive countries.
05:45Is President Bukele winning his war against the gangs?
05:52Is the C-Cot mega prison really a mass deterrent to crime?
06:00To find out, we visited this extraordinary prison.
06:07The C-Cot is located in a highly controlled zone, an hour from San Salvador, the capital.
06:15And access is not easy.
06:17The first roadblock, manned by prison officials, is three kilometers away.
06:21In fact, 200 meters further on, as you approach the C-Cot.
06:46Jammers prevent any telephone communication within a two kilometer radius of the prison.
06:59The aim is to prevent gang members from ordering murders from their cells.
07:07In front of us, an 11 meter high reinforced concrete enclosure,
07:15capable of withstanding an attack from a tank.
07:19Equipped with 19 watchtowers, guards armed with assault rifles,
07:24and a 15,000 volt electric wire fence.
07:30A technological marvel, a source of pride for President Bukele.
07:34So the government decided to mount a sophisticated communications operation.
07:43Only five television crews in the world were authorized to film, one from each continent.
07:48China.
07:53Some Australian journalists also made the journey.
08:00We are the only accredited European film crew.
08:10It's the director himself who acts as our guide.
08:1212,000 members of the Maras are imprisoned here.
08:27Our tour begins in one of the prison's eight wings,
08:30specially reserved for gang leaders,
08:32the most dangerous individuals.
08:33The MS is the Mara Salvatrucha.
09:03Barrio 18 and MS-13.
09:15The two rival gangs that used to slaughter each other for control of the country
09:19are now forced to live together.
09:21That's around 40 warders per wing.
09:42The conditions in the cells are particularly harsh.
09:51The beds are simple metal bunks,
09:53without mattresses or blankets.
09:58And to wash, prisoners have to make do with two cement tubs filled with water.
10:03A single toilet for 80 people,
10:16and there's no place for rebellion.
10:19The first prisoner to cause a problem
10:21is sent to solitary confinement,
10:25a cell measuring three by two meters,
10:28even more cramped.
10:29The only source of light is a tiny window in the roof.
10:46The most uncooperative prisoners can spend up to 15 days in this cell.
10:50And to contain the slightest rebellion.
11:04The guards are in constant training.
11:10And the warden has prepared for anything that could happen.
11:13If a rebellion were to spread.
11:21The armory is equipped with cutting-edge assault rifles.
11:38Here the weapon are not,
11:39such as you can see an weapon
11:41that uses 5.56mm.
11:48This type of armament we use
11:50in case there is a leak
11:52that someone has already tried
11:57or has especially passed.
12:01So we have here
12:01the scope top 12
12:04that is used to be two types of ammunition.
12:06conventional gun or gun gun.
12:09The specific to intervene inside is gun gun gun.
12:13But that is not all.
12:15To prevent even the smallest incident,
12:17a network of 250 CCTV cameras
12:21scrutinizes the inmates every move.
12:24He wants to see how the team manipulates
12:29a router movement.
12:31The penal, with the infrastructure at a level,
12:34I think the Latin American is unique
12:37more than the technology that it has.
12:39It allows us to perform better our work.
12:46Despite these extreme detention conditions,
12:50the ward is keen to reassure us.
12:57The strict respect to human rights here?
13:00Of course, yes.
13:01The strict respect to human rights to the authorities.
13:04And how many times do they eat?
13:06They are receiving three times of food.
13:08breakfast, lunch and dinner.
13:11Let's go. I want you to see the medical department.
13:18In front of our cameras,
13:19the prisoners receive their medication.
13:22And when they are allowed one hour out of their cells,
13:27it is to sing religious hymns in unison.
13:31So, we are talking…
13:34They are talking about…
13:35...
13:36Those are the general programs
13:37that are focused on rescuing values
13:52through the spiritual part.
13:54That's a very important thing.
13:55The Liberty Private laissez something
13:58what to believe and how to do it through the practice of religion.
14:06To support his argument, the director has chosen a prisoner,
14:09the only one authorized to speak to us, a member of Barrio 18,
14:14sentenced to 16 years in prison for extortion.
14:28This man, who can't find fault with the conditions of his detention,
14:46used to be one of the most fearsome Maras, as his tattoos demonstrate.
14:52Only gang leaders have them on their faces.
14:55Above his lips, the name of his clan, the Crazy Southerners.
15:05The tear in the corner of his eye indicates that he has committed murder.
15:11We have the right to have a second opportunity, right?
15:14Do you think it's possible to change?
15:16Yes, we can change.
15:18We are human.
15:20All human beings have mistakes.
15:22The only perfect thing is God.
15:24And more than all, the mothers, right?
15:27They insist on their children that they don't follow this path.
15:30You can also.
15:32Thank you very much.
15:33The arranged interview is not to last more than 10 minutes,
15:35but as soon as the guards and the warden have their back turned,
15:38certain inmates try to get our attention.
15:41Do you want to say something to the police?
15:43Yes.
15:44I'm with Santa Ana.
15:45And their message is quite different.
15:47There are a lot of people who don't have any crime.
15:50We are killed.
15:51We don't have any charges.
15:52We don't have anything.
15:54What's your fault here?
15:5518 months without having committed a crime,
15:59without having any charges.
16:00We can only relate to others.
16:02And we are still here.
16:04We need to leave.
16:07We need to see our families, our children.
16:10Eight years ago, we haven't seen our families.
16:12We have a friend who has more than 10 years.
16:14In my case, I have four years of not being able to see my family.
16:18We need that help.
16:21Let's go.
16:22Come on.
16:25The warden is annoyed.
16:27Tarnishing the image of his prison is out of the question.
16:32The Sea Court is far from being at its capacity.
16:35It has room for another 28,000 Maras.
16:38But President Bukele is not content with just imprisoning the members of these gangs.
16:43He also pursues them to their death.
16:45death. Santa Tecla Cemetery, on the outskirts of San Salvador, the capital. This is where
16:59members of the Mara Salvatrucha, the country's most powerful gang, are buried. The letters
17:04MS, the symbol of their organization, are proudly displayed on some 60 headstones. And today
17:18the government gave the order to carry out a crackdown, the systematic destruction of
17:30all the tombs of the Maras. This is a first in the country's history.
17:44The mission is entrusted to these men in yellow, most of them former gang members. The aim
17:53to erase any trace of the Maras, and prevent the cemetery from becoming a shrine to those
18:03who remain. The scene is filmed by government cameras.
18:19We met the cemetery manager, Francisco.
18:32For him, the destruction of these tombs was absolutely essential.
18:36But really, if we talk about the legal part, there is nothing illegal, because the bodies
18:41have not been exhumed, but the demolition of anything that is allusive to the pandillas.
18:53Since then, the gang families have had nowhere to gather.
18:56The two women soon realize that the tombs of the Maras have been destroyed. And they start
19:13to get scared.
19:22They say no more and leave the cemetery in a hurry.
19:27But Francisco is not fooled.
19:29If you were a little bit of an accuser, the woman who was black when I asked her questions,
19:36she didn't want to look at her face, she got nervous. And that's the issue of the people
19:41who have something to do with them. And they got a little bit of an escape, because they
19:46know that in the regime in which we are, it's not good.
19:52The men could be identified and arrested by the police. But Francisco doesn't feel sorry
19:59for them or their deceased loved ones.
20:04It could be extreme, but for us who suffer, believe me, it's not extreme.
20:13Because extreme would be to see your son who can't go to the street because he's threatened,
20:19they can kill him, to relatives who have killed him, because he passed the street where he
20:26was not. With the fact that there is no idea, whether it's drawing or whatever, it's a
20:33step ahead of us as a society.
20:36Twenty thousand Maras are still thought to be at large. So the authorities are not letting
20:42up the pressure. The police are hunting them down relentlessly.
20:47Sollapango, El Salvador's second largest city. The last stronghold of the Barrio 18 gang.
20:59This morning, 4,000 soldiers and police surrounded the site.
21:09Their aim, to capture the last remaining Maras hiding among the locals.
21:14No vehicle can enter or leave the city without being checked.
21:21You're on fire.
21:22No vehicle can enter.
21:23It's not easy.
21:24You're right, police are in the city.
21:25You're on fire.
21:26You're on fire.
21:27I'm on fire.
21:28If you're on fire, I'm on fire.
21:29You're on fire.
21:30I'm on fire.
21:31You're on fire.
21:32I'm on fire.
21:33You're on fire.
21:34But the police don't just check vehicles.
21:37They also search every house.
21:38search every house. For years gangs have threatened to kill residents who don't
21:43agree to let them squat in their homes. And some Maras still live there.
22:08There's nothing to report about this house.
22:20So the police also check passers-by. They ask people to lift their t-shirts because they're
22:28on the hunt for tattoos, the Maras's identification system. Every passer-by must explain their
22:36tattoos, whether it's the name of someone close to them, or just a decorative design.
22:55This man won't be questioned.
23:05But this one, covered in obvious gang tattoos, is quickly taken away.
23:13Since Nayib Bukele came to power four years ago, the police have captured more than 75,000
23:19gang members.
23:26These arrests were widely reported on the young president's social networks. The guarantor
23:31of this highly punitive policy is the president's right-hand man. His name is Gustavo Villatoro,
23:39and he is El Salvador's Minister of Justice and Public Security. He agreed to meet us
23:43and dress up in his military uniform for the occasion, declaring his support for the anti-Maras
23:48war he has been waging for the past two years.
23:52We are fighting against a terrorist organization that implemented in this country for more
23:58than 20 years, and we are going to destroy until the last one. All in 2015, we are in the
24:04first place, we are in the first place as the most violent country in the world, with a
24:08record of more than 105 victims per cada 100,000 inhabitants. The last year we are in the
24:14place. We close with 7.8 homicidios per cada 100,000 habitantes, as a direct effect of the
24:21nine months of the excepción regime. When will the excepción be finished? Until we capture
24:27the last member of those terrorist organizations on the ground.
24:34In his office, the minister has an unstoppable weapon against the Maras.
24:39In the face of the government's persistence, 20,000 Maras and the
25:09governments have already fled the country.
25:15We found one of these fugitives on the outskirts of Mexico City, 2,000 kilometers from El Salvador.
25:22A former hitman, he has found refuge here, far from his homeland. He lives in this small
25:29house with his partner, who is Mexican and eight months pregnant. The man agreed to meet
25:35us, but he wishes to remain anonymous. We'll call him Carlos.
25:39For 30 years, Carlos was part of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha, a gang he joined at the age
25:56of 13. He was what is referred to as a soldier. In other words, a lackey who killed and extorted by the instruction of the gang leaders.
26:09In the world of us, if you don't have your weapon or your waist, you feel like you're missing something.
26:17In other words, all the conflicts were there.
26:19In other words, I could say that you could cause a team to death to be able to survive.
26:29Carlos miraculously survived. After seven days suspended between life and death, he pulled through and immediately resumed his role in the gang.
26:47Carlos miraculously survived. Carlos miraculously survived. After seven days suspended between life and death, he pulled through and immediately resumed his role in the gang.
26:57Mulhouse had the gang.
26:58Carlos miraculously —
27:25and spent 16 years in prison, where he was tattooed all over his body.
27:30But these days, having these tattoos has become dangerous.
27:55They are the symbol of gang membership.
28:00If Mexican police officers discover them, they could send him back to El Salvador.
28:15So Carlos is fixated on one thing, removing them.
28:19He has already had 11 appointments.
28:25Each time, he goes to a different clinic to avoid being identified.
28:32It's the first time he's come to see Maria.
28:39Carlos regrets getting tattooed, especially on his face.
28:46Carlos regrets getting tattooed, especially on his face.
29:01Carlos regrets getting tattooed, especially on his face.
29:08How did you do the tattooing?
29:15How did you do the paint for the tattoo?
29:18We came, we collected 10 of them,
29:21and we did one by one,
29:24and we mixed what was shampoo from the bathroom,
29:28and there was this paint.
29:31And for the needle, what did you use?
29:33The needle, we used the number two of a guitar.
29:39Are you ready for the fortune?
29:40Yes.
29:41Yes.
29:41Yes.
29:43Yes.
29:44Yes.
29:44Yes.
29:45Yes.
29:45Okay.
29:47We're going to learn Morbicia, because she was baptized.
29:50I got a nerve, super.
29:55Maria uses a laser to pulverize the ink pigments one by one.
30:02A very painful procedure.
30:05Oh, oh.
30:07Especially on the face, an area full of nerve endings.
30:10No, because this pain is indescriptible.
30:15Where you're going to pass the laser, you're going to be burning.
30:19I try not to pass much in the pain, because otherwise, I don't resist.
30:24It's worth it.
30:25It's all.
30:26You're done.
30:28The ordeal will last an hour and a half.
30:32I'm going to go with the barbilla.
30:33Yes.
30:36Almost 2,500 laser shocks in total, a record for Maria.
30:41The average tattoo, like a small one?
30:44About 100, 150.
30:47But Carlos is in a hurry to remove his tattoos, even if it means enduring the pain.
30:53Yes.
30:54He cried a lot.
30:55Yes.
30:56But he felt like a warrior.
30:58It hurts a little and hurts, but I feel happy and happy for the work she has developed.
31:05The former assassin is grateful for Maria's work, but also for her discretion.
31:10This session could have cost him his freedom.
31:14And don't call the police.
31:16I come to your clinic, and you are aware of doing my work.
31:23Oh, God.
31:25I swear to you, from the bottom of my heart, it's a pleasure to have been able to put you a little bit of iron.
31:31Thank you very much.
31:32Carlos still has to endure half a dozen sessions to remove his tattoos.
31:42He then hopes to return to his country to lead a normal life away from the gangs.
31:50Back to El Salvador.
31:53Since Nayib Bukele came to power, peace has been restored in the country.
31:57Like here in Las Cañas, a middle-class neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital.
32:03All over, gangs were reigning supreme.
32:07For a long time, this playground remained empty.
32:14Here, the gangs would spread terror, so much so that the children no longer dared to go to school.
32:26Don Pedro, aged 60, has been a teacher for around 20 years.
32:37This maths lesson was unimaginable just two years ago.
32:41Yes.
32:42The student died so much that here we only had three or five students for the social situation.
32:48Nobody, and I repeat, nobody will expose their children or send them to a school or a school where their physical integrity is in danger.
32:59Here, all the pupils have experienced violence because of the Maras.
33:09When the police arrived in the colony, the groups of gangs were fleeing.
33:16So, they grabbed for any passage.
33:19And if we were playing there, it would be very dangerous for any ballpark.
33:26The ballpark began.
33:27Their school was at the heart of a turf war.
33:41In this area, gangs fought over every street with guns and knives.
33:48On average, three murders were committed every month.
33:57Each one of them had a portion of the colony in their dominion.
34:03Now, we are approaching the imaginary limit.
34:06I say the imaginary limit because there is no limit.
34:10This passage served as a border.
34:16A border that divided the neighbourhood in two.
34:20On the left, the territory of Barrio 18.
34:23On the right, that of the Mara Salvatrucha.
34:27The limit meant to attack against life.
34:30On the right, they could die.
34:33There are certain places that still recognize them
34:36or at least give us indication of the problems that we have experienced.
34:41The impact of the Bad, that there is.
34:44But there are some false evidence that the situation in the colony was critical.
34:49The area was a river?
34:51Yes, yes.
34:52Relatively, yes.
34:53In this merciless war, some of the residents have paid a high price.
34:55A few months ago, 62-year-old Rafaela lost her nephew Miguel, who was killed by Maras trying to steal his car.
35:02My brother, who was my son of my son of my son of my son of my son of my son.
35:20One day, at 6 o'clock in the morning.
35:23At 6 o'clock in the morning.
35:24I don't remember.
35:27I can't remember.
35:28But, with my son of my son of theνα, they found them in composition.
35:36Miguel was the family's hope, the only one to have made it through university.
35:55The state of terror is such that the courts have closed the case, much to the despair
36:11of Miguel's father.
36:39For the young student and his family, it's too late.
36:42But for those who escaped the gang Qidu, times are changing.
36:49Football matches are once again being organized in neighborhoods, formerly controlled by the
36:54Maras.
36:56In the stands, children and families, joyful scenes that were unimaginable just a few months
37:04ago.
37:05To keep the football matches going, the authorities are not letting up the pressure and are continuing
37:19to hunt down every last Mara.
37:27In Soyopango, the police are still out in force.
37:32An elite unit has even been called in to reinforce them.
37:35And today they have a very specific target in mind, a woman suspected of working for the
37:42gangs.
37:43According to their intelligence, she is linked to the Mara Salvatrucha, a dangerous operation
37:50for these soldiers.
37:51When in reality they are decided to die, as they say, they are defending and they are not
37:57going to let them capture.
37:59They are not going to kill.
38:12Since the state of emergency was declared two years ago, the intervention squads have
38:17had full jurisdiction.
38:18They do not even need a judge's warrant to arrest a suspect.
38:38This is the woman they are looking for, one of the town's school teachers.
39:06The police are no longer obliged to explain the real reasons for her arrest.
39:21In El Salvador, this is all you need to arrest a suspect.
39:27On it, just the identity, address and the charge.
39:34The teacher is taken to the local police station.
39:53And once there, her arrest takes an unexpected turn.
40:00A policewoman asks us to stop filming.
40:11One of the officers noticed inconsistencies in the suspect's file.
40:27But there is another mistake on the card.
40:49But the local policeman has his doubts he doesn't want to commit a miscarriage of justice.
40:53So he insists.
40:56There were at least two errors in the file.
41:13But the teacher was taken in anyway to be presented to the investigators.
41:19Her sister, who has just arrived at the police station, is in shock.
41:40In reality or not, the teacher could remain in prison for two years.
41:45The maximum legal period before a first hearing.
41:51In El Salvador, arrests are made first, then investigated.
41:55A procedure that one man has dared to denounce.
42:02Marvin has worked as a police officer for almost 20 years.
42:05He is now denouncing arbitrary arrests, allegedly due to quotas imposed by the government, which
42:13demanded 1,000 arrests a day throughout the country.
42:17Marvin shows us an exclusive document.
42:19To motivate their troops, the authorities used blackmail.
42:38If the targets were not met, the police officers were not allowed to go home to see their families.
42:48So they end up arresting anyone.
42:50Many of them were not from the police officers, because there was a time when the police officers were not in the street.
43:00Well, we see here a young people who are working.
43:04Here you can see a young people who are preparing food.
43:09Marvin resigned three years ago.
43:24Disgusted by these practices, he joined a union that denounces the excesses of the police.
43:32But does this policy of making arrests at all costs,
44:01lead the police to make mistakes?
44:08An hour west of San Salvador lies the small town of Queseltepeca.
44:20This is where Maribel lives, with her three children.
44:26Spaghetti and fried rice.
44:29They're delicious.
44:31They like it.
44:33Eighteen months ago, tragedy struck the family.
44:36Jorge, the eldest son, was put in prison.
44:39This is the book that my son had bought.
44:45I want to show you.
44:47That day when I was the most proud mother of the world.
44:51It was the day when he graduated, the first time, in English.
44:56It's difficult to see this photograph.
44:59You know what they're doing.
45:02Alongside his studies, Jorge worked as a bricklayer to feed the family.
45:06It was on his way home from a building site that he was arrested.
45:11The authorities suspect Jorge of being part of a gang.
45:30The authorities suspect Jorge of being part of a gang.
45:33The authorities suspect Jorge of being part of a gang.
45:34No evidence?
45:35No evidence.
45:36No evidence.
45:37I have clear that my son took him to make numbers.
45:40The man from the delegation, I imagine his chief, his director, or something like that.
45:45He said, I need one more.
45:47He said, I need one more.
45:48He said, I need one more.
45:49He said, I need one more.
45:50He said, I need one more.
45:51So, unfortunately, that one more was my son.
45:54Since his arrest, the family has been devastated.
45:58And it really needs that deal of Jorge.
46:03He said, I don't want to.
46:08He said, I don't want it.
46:10He said, I don't want it.
46:11He said, I love it.
46:12He's good, brother.
46:13And I'm afraid that some day he can come and he can't hug him or anything.
46:22Because the truth is, he doesn't want it.
46:24He doesn't want it.
46:25He doesn't want it.
46:27Before her son's arrest, Mary Bell ran a grocery shop.
46:39Since then, she has sold everything to try to get him out of prison.
46:45Every evening, she travels to the San Silvador detention center, an hour's drive away.
46:53Around 20 detainees are released every night at around 8 p.m.
46:59Mary Bell joins other families who, like her, are hoping for the release of their loved ones.
47:05We follow her with a discreet camera.
47:07Each time Mary Bell cherishes the hope of seeing her son again, some prisoners start to leave.
47:24Most were men at the end of their sentences or arrested without any evidence.
47:31A policeman comes out of the station and calls out the names of the other men who are about to leave.
47:38A policeman comes out of the station and calls out the names of the other men who are about to be released.
47:55In total, 15 are released this evening, but no joy for Mary Bell.
48:12Maribel will go home alone, convinced that her son is innocent.
48:34go home alone convinced that her son is innocent the young man could serve two years in prison
48:42for nothing and he's far from alone for several months ngos have been warning of
48:50thousands of random arrests and human rights violations in el salvador
48:57in april 2022 amnesty international's director for the americas sounded the alarm in an open
49:03letter to president bouquille les violations des droits humains ne résoudront pas la violence
49:10elles ne font qu'empirer une situation déjà grave
49:15we asked the minister of justice about this but he is taking responsibility
49:19for potential blunders
49:23alguien dice es inocente ni tú ni yo podemos decir que alguien es inocente
49:27en un sistema de justicia ninguna policía del mundo captura solo culpables y si el trabajo que
49:37estamos haciendo tiene la capacidad de transformar y devolver la esperanza a todo un pueblo vale la
49:45pena van en la pena pues lo vamos a seguir haciendo delisiones innocent people imprisoned according to
49:54the minister is the price to pay for putting an end to the violence that had overtaken the country
50:00and to show the whole world that el salvador has changed the president is working on improving its image
50:06and he is paying the price
50:15miss vietnam miss el salvador miss bulgaria miss egypt and nicaragua
50:23there are 16 of them and they have come from the four corners of the world to compete in the miss
50:29universe contest
50:37a golden opportunity for el salvador
50:40the competition broadcast in 66 countries attracts 500 million television viewers
50:47so the government is pulling out all the stops it has invested 100 million dollars in the event
50:59for this photo shoot which will be seen the world over a luxury hotel in an incredible location
51:06lake cuatepeque recognized as one of the most beautiful in the world in the heart of a volcano
51:12a little paradise that the contestants were quick to share with their thousands of followers
51:16in the space of just a few days the contestants become el salvador's best ambassadors
51:31whose attractions they are promoting
51:33the government has done an amazing job and i really respect them for that for for bringing
51:52the the the face of el salvador to another level it was amazing job done
51:56a successful communications operation for the authorities perhaps these heavenly images will make el
52:05salvador the new fashionable destination in latin america
52:12at least that's what manolo the owner of this luxury hotel is hoping for
52:15the next day the miss universe contest was held in this brand new gymnasium
52:39450 journalists from all over the world flocked to cover the event
52:45and there's no risk of spoiling the party a huge security detail has been put in place
52:55nearly 700 police officers and just as many soldiers because the global visibility of the event
53:01is not just of interest to the government
53:03less than two kilometers away
53:15a completely different parade took place
53:17nearly one thousand people have gathered heading for the gymnasium to alert the world to the unfair arrests
53:35the demonstrators
53:54among the demonstrators was mary bell
53:56who would also have come to demand her son's release
53:59release but less than 300 meters from the gymnasium are the riot police equipped with
54:25two armored vehicles the demonstrators are forced to stop here the international press will not hear
54:50their anger in the gym the party goes on and no one has any idea of the struggle these families are
55:15facing that evening the crown went to miss Nicaragua but the real winner please put your hands together
55:31for president is him naive Bukele brings the ceremony to a close in front of nearly 500 million
55:41television viewers around the world El Salvador El Salvador has changed forever and we have
55:50demonstrated it here once again welcome to the rebirth of our country welcome to El Salvador
55:56you
56:05you
Recommended
1:05
50:11
45:27
6:17
51:40