The Minister of Security, Gustavo Villatoro, defended the proposal, stating that a modern country requires the elimination of impunity for atrocious crimes. In addition to the constitutional amendment, the Legislative Assembly must adjust the Penal Code, the Juvenile Penal Law, and the Anti-Terrorism Act to align them with the new regulations of the Magna Carta. It is worth noting that in January 2025, the legislature ratified a reform that allows for express changes to the Constitution within the same legislative session. 'Life imprisonment will only be imposed on murderers, rapists, and terrorists,' dictates the reform to the second paragraph of article 27 of the Constitution, approved in a plenary session by 59 of the 60 deputies that make up the legislative body. After its approval, which was made without prior study or debate, Congress must ratify the reform in a new plenary session for the constitutional text to be officially modified. With this mechanism, the ruling party has managed to approve measures such as indefinite presidential elections. This proposal for life sentences comes a few days before El Salvador completes four years under the state of exception, implemented in March 2022. The initiative was passed to the Political Commission for formal analysis before the final approval. The deputy for New Ideas, Suecy Callejas, explained that this measure aims to apply life imprisonment to people who belong to gangs, as well as to those responsible for homicides, femicides, and rapes. The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador, dominated by the ruling party New Ideas (NI), approved this Tuesday a constitutional reform that allows for life imprisonment for murderers, rapists, and terrorists. 'This reform is the guarantee that those who sown terror will never walk our streets again,' he emphasized. In an unprecedented event, the opposition Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) added its votes to this officialist initiative. Under this legal framework, more than 91,300 people linked to criminal groups have been arrested. 'Prison for debts, infamous, proscriptive, and all kinds of torture are prohibited. The proposal, emanating from the government of President Nayib Bukele, must be ratified in a subsequent session. However, human rights defenders have alerted to the death of at least 500 detainees in state custody.'
