In our August 31 Facebook Live session, Senior Investigator Héctor Silva Ávalos and Senior Editor Mike LaSusa spoke about recent reports of alleged death squad activity involving El Salvador police.
An investigation by the Salvadoran news outlet Factum, which was republished by InSight Crime, exposed how networks within a special anti-gang unit of El Salvador’s police had engaged in various criminal activities. These included extrajudicial executions and other abuses of suspected gang members, which were apparently discussed and coordinated via text messages and social media.
Silva Ávalos and LaSusa discussed the significance of the report in light of the current and historical context of El Salvador, including the complicated relationships between political power structures and the powerful gangs responsible for so much violence in the country. They also talked about the Salvadoran government’s response to the investigation, which so far seems to have made little progress.
Watch the Facebook Live broadcast for the full conversation: