In El Salvador, a state of emergency declared in March over widespread gang violence is still in place. The country's president, Nayib Bukele, has declared total war on ultra-violent criminal gangs, suspending constitutional rights in the process. Almost 60,000 people have been arrested since March, some as a result of arbitrary detentions. Thousands are now in prison. Although this crackdown is supported by most of the population, it has been strongly criticised by human rights groups. FRANCE 24's Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin report.
Several foreign governments and the United Nations have also criticised the authoritarian excesses of Bukele, who since March has control of all the political and legal bodies in the nation of 6.5 million inhabitants. In response, many Salvadorans retort: "If he is a dictator, he is certainly the best dictator in the world."
