Safety vs. Freedom in El Salvador: The Dark Side of ‘State of Exception’ Mass Arrests

A policy of mass incarceration, driven by an increasingly hardline government, has transformed El Salvador, giving its citizens newfound security, but often at the cost of personal freedoms. For “In Real Life,” journalist Nelufar Hedayat sees how the controversial “state of exception” is having impacts both in El Salvador and in the U.S.
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[@dgerardo22]

I hate how biased this female reporter was throughout the whole video. She has no idea what all salvadorans have gone through for decades due to the vicious and evil gangs. There was no perfect nor easy solution to eliminate gangs in El Salvador. What we know is that there's peace and security like never before. Leave us alone.

[@jamesmurphy9426]

America and Mexico need leadership similar to this policy

[@gmo882]

well said!

[@user-yy9hk9od9u]

Who do you want to run the country, the hardline govt or MS13. Your choice. There is no middle ground in such a poor country.

[@henryadriel001]

When your country is the safest .. everyone else will judge

[@zamirios]

El Salvador is not the safest country. This evil president Nayib Bukele a dictator, a liar and murderer. The sold out media lies about what is really going on in El Salvador.

[@josuefuentes8433]

I don’t know why, y’all suddenly decided to take interest in our country, never once did any external news outlet decided to ever look into past governments and judge how they ran things, what a bunch of fear mongering vultures you all are, our people are happy more than ever, despite what the very few have to say, you can never please everyone, and I believe the wellness of the many outweighs the ones of the few, specially in our country, leave us alone we are truly happy and we can finally prosper as a nation

[@Rox888-vx3hv]

Did you not pay attention when you see footage of her from 2016 documenting the gangs!! Even with proof you people don't accept it.

[@axelmonogatari3175]

They did a reportage in 2016 before nayib, so yeah, at least they had some initial interest. I dont like their focus though, like if what nayib did, had massive consequences which is not the case.

[@pygmalionsrobot1896]

The mothers who criticize Bukele ... they should have spent more time disciplining their sons. Bukele is making prisoners, but those nasty gangsters were taking innocent lives. Sorry - no sympathy for MS.

[@marlon006]

Exactly. The only people complaining are the people that had to do with Gangs...mothers, sisters, brothers etc... this reporter is so biased and ridiculous.

[@pygmalionsrobot1896]

@@marlon006 I'm sure there are quite a few MS still living in the US. We should actually send them back to the mega-prison, and also Pay your Government Money to keep them locked up in El Salvador. I'm very sorry for the many victims of this crime wave, it will be a beautiful country again !! Good luck :)

[@MariaFlores-oh7bt]

I don’t live there but my husbands family dose and he is the first to clean up his country so his family says now that it feels safe even at night❤

[@BoyleHeights99]

We as salvadoreños know what it is to live under gang terrorism. Im so glad Bukele came and clean the country. #Bukele2024 You dont know what loosing a female counsin for not joining their gang

[@renatamiranda3885]

When you are not scared anymore and you have peace , and drugs are almost gone from the kids and kids can play and get better education that is amazing, people got food, better health, even pets got a great hospital,..... don't talk bad about the only president in the world who got the control of a country and think about the people for real, now I feel so proud to be a Salvadoran 🇸🇻❤🙏

[@nickolouszahar2193]

There is indeed a cost for freedom, especially when years of corruption and bad leadership allows criminals and greed to take foot. Unfortunately you have to be aggressive to remove this corruption, The U.S. may go through this very soon IMO.

[@terrahueca5245]

Dios bendiga la actual Bonanza Salvadoreña y reprenda está clase de medios q hacen sus documentales con intenciones maliciosas siempre queriendo hacer ver mal el trabajo de un hombre sensato q ama su país. 🤝🌋🏞️🇸🇻

[@carlosalbertozelaya7935]

Desperate times call for desperate measures.... Long live Bukele. ❤️🇸🇻

[@zamirios]

Arresting innocent people and putting them in prison (on purpose) to suffer is no excuse and that's what is really happening under the regime and this corrupt president murderer Nayib Bukele. There is no real security in El Salvador.

[@nmcd5858]

All the El Salvadorians and Nicaraguan that I have talked to are happy to be safe.

[@juanoliva9977]

If u dont like that we putting the gangs in prison they are free we can send them to your country 😂 ... El salvador wont bck to the past !

[@Mestivalentina]

Sigan hablando mal de lo bueno que ha echo Bukele que mas lo vamos apoyar 😊 #Bukele2024 🇸🇻✊🏻

[@user-fq7xt5yd7r]

Excelente reportaje sobre los inosentes los del margen de error ya basta de tanto tiempo secuestrados.. Es injusto que en el proseso pierdan asta la vida por una yamada anónima. Opor a ser números la fuerza armada.. Nadie pero nadie está de acuerdo a defender delincuentes.. Pero a los inosentes ya es tiempo que los liberen 😔

[@tonygonzalez-lp5su]

Hoy en El Salvador 🇸🇻 estamos mas que felices con nuestro presidente buckele!! Y si hablan de pobreza Pobreza en todas partes del mundo hay hasta en Estados Unidos!! El Salvador a cambiado completamente con nuestro presidente buckele!!!

[@TheCipotemasloco]

Nayib Bukele is my President and I will vote for him! 🇸🇻!! I can give you an interview as well ! I

[@thomasconroy6975]

does "civil liberties" means the right to be a gang member?

[@Jorge-ww9zy]

So wipe out the gangs in exchange for losing constitutional freedoms? No thanks. We will never allow a tyrant to "protect us" in exchange for our freedoms and rights. Rule of law is what matters. But hey it's not my country so if Salvadorans want their Government to have that much power, that's their issue.

[@user-rx5rg2wy3n]

Bukele el mejor presidente para disfrazar la inocencia de nuestros hijos inocentes , el 80/presos aunque apoyo la seguridad sin violentar nuestros derechos

[@Ernie.Cantor]

you can question all you want.. but is undeniable that El Salvador and its population is free now... learn from it

[@netobrand1]

hahaha... “Quotas”... Makes no sense, makes no sense... How do you get in touch with this person?.. Who was your contact?... ONG? The guy you interviewing as a police officer... Waring uniform with the logo on the sholder but no number or name in the front pocket is embroidered into the uniform but took it off for the interview but left the monogram? sure. I would love to know who was your contact in El Salvador?.. To get into a country where you don’t know anything about who was your contact and by doing that we would know where your information is coming from or leaning towards. Your ignorance is blissful... You have no idea what you are talking about. Viva Bukele...

[@Rox888-vx3hv]

When you yourself don't live there, yet you comment

[@fannyreyes2224]

Lo de las cuotas exigidas por el Presidente Bukele a los policias y militares es cierto , por que crees que hay niñas violadas y acosadas en el Regimen de excepcion por estos oficiales ? Aparte de esos por que crees que maestros , enfermeras , medicos , panaderos , mecanicos detenidos siendo Inocentes ? Quienes han muerto a causa de las torturas sistematica implementada en Los Penales lo raro solo Personas Inocentes mueren no miembros de estructuras criminales ?

[@netobrand1]

@@fannyreyes2224 jajaja me dio mucha gracia tu comentario... Pero bueno sigamos con tu lógica... Me puedes explicar cual es el sentido de capturar personas inocentes y de llenar de personas las carceles si eso representa un efecto contrario al gobierno?.. Implica que personas como tu lo critiquen, para que darle armas a la oposición al arrestar personas “inocentes” como tu dices, implica mas gasto, implicaría mas personas descontentas, me entiendes... Lo que me gustaría que me explicaras es que gana el gobierno con arrestar personas inocentes? o tener cuotas? La primera ves que oi algo acerca de quotas no tenían el CECOT no pensabas que eso representaba una carga mas al sistema penitenciario decadente que había donde iban a meter tanto malandro? Mira yo no digo que no hayan caído personas inocentes... Pero a eso a que son las mayorías no creo... Y si solo inocentes an caído porque se pararon los asesinatos?

[@netobrand1]

@@Rox888-vx3hv I didn’t read anywhere it said that you had to be with in the territory to give your point of view or give an opinion... My bad. 🤦‍♂

[@Rox888-vx3hv]

@@fannyreyes2224 Exacto, y el número de mujeres en prision dando a luz misteriosamente. Esas violaciones también saldrán en corte en el futuro

[@purdu3]

She's clueless. Everyone wants to have an opinion until they themselves have to live in torture.

[@JoseFlores-kq4sl]

Que den la cara ewoe corruptos

[@dmvTV24]

If you asked the opositores they will said the wrong things you need understand the past and know

[@user-iz7cx6zv4t]

Yo kisiera hacer un documental

[@marianaviera4002]

It is insane, that gangs used to put head quotas for their members; and so does the police with the arrest quotas. El Salvador has a new gang ruling apparently; The PNC and FAES

[@VIBORARockbandES]

Dark side?

[@AyalaGlenda]

Que me canta leer los comentarios en estos videos así LA GENTE YA DESPERTÓ NADIE LES CREE MEDIOS AMARILLISTAS 😂 viva bukele 🎉🇸🇻

[@terrahueca5245]

Inocent people 😅😊

[@bryangonzales4198]

Lady weren’t you the same reporter who interviewed him in 2019? Who asked how is he going to combat the gang, corruption, cartel, etc? I remember that interview. When he said that all of those things feed off of each other. That you need to cut them down, seems like you were on board with the plan. What happened? You have more sympathies towards the gang members than the victims?

[@thomasconroy6975]

you're "creepy"

[@AnaElizabethMartinez-sm2yn]

😂

[@fannyreyes2224]

Excelente Reportaje les falto entrevista a victimas del Regimen que sufrieron torturas , vieron morir a sus compañeros , las fosas clandestinas , las mujeres q han sido violadas por policias y luego las encarcelaron con el regimen para silenciarlas etc ,

[@ricardohenriquez8850]

Arrest quotas make no sense. Why does the president demand arrest quotas? Each innocent person arrested generates a big expense, a waste of time, and a waste of resources that the government can not afford. In the United States where incarceration is extremely lucrative, and shows how the US government benefit the private jails owners; placing innocent people in jail makes a lot of $en$e, In El Salvador arresting innocent people is just a big expense, a big waste of money, and a big waste of resources The document with which you expect us to believe that the president demands arrest quotas is as fake as the policeman presenting the "evidence". My kinder garden daughter could have made a better evidence Can you name one country in the world in which innocent people have not been arrested?

[@Rox888-vx3hv]

In the US the government provides everything for inmates. ES prisons generate money from cash deposits families have to make. Families feed, clothe,& pay medicines. Items that are resold to the inmates at higher cost. So yes, it's a lucrative business there too