El Salvador’s Congress voted Friday to give government prosecutors two more years to hold the more than 80,000 people swept up under the state of emergency while they investigate alleged ties to the country’s gangs.
The Congress, controlled by President Nayib Bukele’s New Ideas party and its allies, voted 57 to 3 in favor of extending the period of pretrial incarceration.
Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado said that with the extension authorities could carry out more complete investigations, present solid evidence and win sentences against members of organized crime.
