AT LEAST 504 people died in El Salvador prisons between April 2022 and March 2026, a damning new human rights report said.

The report by Socorro Juridico Humanitario (SJH) links the deaths to the continuing state of exception imposed on the country by its far right leader Nayib Bukele four years ago.

The measure, in force since March 27 2022, allows for the suspension of constitutional guarantees as part of the government’s security strategy. 

The SJH report says 90 per cent of those who died in custody did not fit profiles associated with gang membership, contradicting official claims that mass arrests target criminal groups. 

The actual number of deaths could be as high as 2,000, the SJH added.

Samuel Ramirez, of the Movement of Victims of the Regime, said: “Four years of struggling to achieve justice and secure the release of innocent people, and we see no response.

“What we see from the government is total silence, attacks, and a regime that eliminates human rights and fundamental guarantees.” 

The government argues that the state of exception has led to a “historic” reduction in homicides and retains public support estimated at 85 per cent.