Bukele signs reforms allowing life prison sentences for people as young as 12

Key Points:

• Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele signed constitutional reforms allowing life imprisonment for individuals as young as 12 convicted of serious crimes like homicide, femicide, rape, and gang membership, with new criminal courts and mandatory sentence reviews.
• The reforms follow Bukele's ongoing harsh crackdown on gangs, which included a prolonged state of emergency, suspension of constitutional rights, mass arrests of over 91,000 people, and mass trials resulting in extremely long sentences.
• Critics accuse Bukele of human rights abuses, arbitrary detentions, and weakening democratic institutions, while supporters credit the crackdown with significantly reducing homicide rates and boosting his popularity.
• The government has also eliminated presidential term limits, enabling Bukele to potentially remain in power indefinitely, and has targeted critics, activists, and journalists, prompting accusations of authoritarianism.
• Human rights organizations have condemned the arbitrary nature of many detentions under Bukele's policies and filed complaints with international bodies, allegations the president denies.