Bukele’s controversial crackdown on gang violence in El Salvador has featured sweeping arrests under state of emergency powers, imprisoning tens of thousands of people in maximum-security prisons where they face mass trials. Those measures have contributed to a drastic reduction in the country’s homicide rate — dropping from 100 murders per 100,000 in 2015 to just 1.3 by 2025 — and making Bukele, the self-styled “world’s coolest dictator,” immensely popular at home. However, critics say the decline is partly due to the reclassification of certain kinds of homicides, and that the president’s policies violate human rights and due process for those arrested. Bukele’s change of heart would affect only people accused of collaborating with gangs — say, by making extortion payments or serving as lookouts — rather than those accused of being gang members.
Hard Numbers
El Salvador to free tens of thousands
Lottie Tellyn
By Lottie TellynOctober 15, 2026
Lottie Tellyn
Lottie is a reporter at GZERO, where she covers all things geopolitics for the website and daily newsletter. Before moving to the US, she reported for The Times and Sunday Times of London, writing about everything from sports and travel to foreign affairs and breaking news. Lottie has a bachelor’s in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Originally from Hampshire, England, she now lives in New York, where she can usually be found inviting far too many people round for dinner, out running in the park, and trying to remember to drive on the wrong side of the road.
