El Salvador says families can file complaints over unjust detention in notorious mega-prison

Families of Venezuelan deportees held in El Salvador’s infamous Cecot prison can petition the Salvadoran government for their release – but the fruitfulness of that process is an open question in a country accused of arbitrary detention by rights groups and even the US State Department.

Families of Venezuelan deportees held in El Salvador’s infamous Cecot prison can petition the Salvadoran government for their release – but the fruitfulness of that process is an open question in a country accused of arbitrary detention by rights groups and even the US State Department. The head of El Salvador’s Human Rights and Freedom of Expression Commission, Andrés Guzmán, told CNN those who believe their relatives are “unjustly” held in the country’s notorious Cecot mega-prison can bring their grievances into the office. Families, including those of Venezuelans deported from the United States, have been anxiously waiting for news about their loved ones. The Venezuelans are among the 238 people US President Donald Trump deported to El Salvador last weekend, accused of having ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The deportees were then transferred to the Center for Terrorism Confinement, known as Cecot, the largest prison in the Americas. Several relatives say they’ve identified family members among the deportees and have denied the allegations. Venezuela’s government and multiple families have criticized the treatment their loved ones have received in El Salvador, saying that neither the Salvadorans nor the US have presented evidence that the deportees are gang members.