Andrés (28) is the first college graduate in his family. Months after obtaining his degree as an engineer, he was arrested by state agents without explanation. During his eight-and-a-half months in prison, he witnessed hundreds of cases of severe malnutrition. On the day of his release, he was arrested at the gates of the prison, again without explanation. Usulután, El Salvador.
In 2022, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and its legislative assembly passed a law declaring a “state of emergency” that limited the rights of El Salvadorans to freedom of assembly, privacy of communication, and due process under the law. This temporary measure, designed to curb gang violence responsible for El Savador’s high murder rate, has been renewed 35 times as of March 2025, turning El Salvador into a nation where mass incarceration is the norm. Prisons in El Salvador have become severely overcrowded and reports of inhumane treatment, poor medical care, violence, and murder are common. This project focuses on the stories of individuals and affected families to show the private struggles behind public policy.
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