Carlos Barrera

Visual storyteller

Life and Death in a Country Without Constitutional Rights

A man is taken into custody by ...ca, El Salvador, 27 March 2022.

A man is taken into custody by police on the day the El Salvadoran Legislative Assembly approved the “state of emergency.” Since that day, more than 80,000 people have been arrested. Santa Telca, El Salvador, 27 March 2022.

A young man is taken to prison ...ing no ties to criminal groups.

A young man is taken to prison by the police during an operation in a neighborhood of San Salvador. A portion of marijuana was found on the young man, and he was treated as a gang member despite having no ties to criminal groups.

During the first days of the St...a relationship with each other.

During the first days of the State of Exception in 2022, arrests were massive and detainees were taken in groups and linked to illicit associations even without having a relationship with each other.

On december 3 of 2022 salvadora...trol of MS-13, a criminal gang.

On december 3 of 2022 salvadoran security forces captured dozens of young people in Las Margaritas, a neighborhood in Soyapango, and took them to jail. Las Margaritas is stigmatized due to was under the control of MS-13, a criminal gang.

A man with tattoos waits to be ...y's state of emergency.

A man with tattoos waits to be interrogated by soldiers on Dec. 3, 2022. According to human rights organizations, having tattoos was the reason many were arrested during the first days of the country's state of emergency.

A group of prisoners waits at t... in the prisons of El Salvador.

A group of prisoners waits at the entrance to the Ilopango jail in San Salvador. That day was the last that they were able to see their relatives because people do not have communication with the outside world in the prisons of El Salvador.

A woman carries her baby and tr...most three years of the regime.

A woman carries her baby and tries to talk to her captured husband during the first days of the emergency regime in 2022. Thousands of families were separated due to mass captures during almost three years of the regime.

People arrested in September 20...ing more than a year in prison.

People arrested in September 2022 during the state of exception, moments before entering San Salvador's Ilopango jail. Many who claimed to be innocent would end up spending more than a year in prison.

Cecilia Abrego holds a t-shirt ...take care of his grandchildren.

Cecilia Abrego holds a t-shirt with a photograph of her sons that were captured during the regime. Cecilia is sick with cancer and must find money for her treatment and to send food to her detained children. Furthermore, after the captures, he had to take care of his grandchildren.

On August 16, 2022, Uziel de Je... during the State of Exception.

On August 16, 2022, Uziel de Jesús was released from a PNC detention center in Usulután, in eastern El Salvador. His mother, Vilma Pineda, was waiting for him outside, who had traveled every day since his capture. Uziel was detained on Espiritu Santo Island along with 21 neighbors during the State of Exception.

A 16-year-old boy who was captu...ll town in eastern El Salvador.

A 16-year-old boy who was captured and claimed to have been beaten and tortured by members of El Salvador's naval force in November 2022 in Usulután, a small town in eastern El Salvador.

Relatives of Juan Sa&uacute...rd but the police captured him.

Relatives of Juan Saúl, a 32-year-old worker, pray during a commemoration after his funeral. Juan died after suffering from ear cancer and not receiving adequate treatment in prison. Juan Saúl had no criminal record but the police captured him.

An altar in honor of Juan Casti... the government of El Salvador.

An altar in honor of Juan Castillo. He died on October 13, 2024 at the age of 32. He spent the last two years of his life in prison after being captured under the state of exception on October 31, 2022. Juan was a worker at the Ministry of Public Works of the government of El Salvador.

Maria Elena cries above of his ...of medical treatment in prison.

Maria Elena cries above of his son's coffin. On October 5 of 2022 her son, Marvin Díaz, was captured in a rural area of Usulután, El Salvador. In jail, due an unhealthy environment, he got sick. On June 6, 2024, the court gave him freedom after photographs of Marvin chained to a hospital bed became a trend on social networks. Marvin died on July 28, 2024 due to lack of medical treatment in prison.

Rodrigo Vázquez Jr. ...y's state of exception.

Rodrigo Vázquez Jr. was one of more than 300 people who died inside a prison under the custody of the Salvadoran government during the country's state of exception.

Relatives of Rodrigo V&aacu... his funeral on March 13, 2023.

Relatives of Rodrigo Vázquez Jr., who died in a Salvadoran prison during the state of exception, mourn during his funeral on March 13, 2023.

Alba is 28 years old, she is th... others lose their pregnancies.

Alba is 28 years old, she is the mother of a child and in November 2022 she lived at her parents' house, whom she, along with a brother, helped with household expenses. She had applied for a visa program from the Ministry of Labor and the United States Embassy and had been selected to go to work in early 2023. Then she experienced what she describes as “a kidnapping.” On November 11, 2022, agents of the National Civil Police arrived at her house and captured her in front of her mother and son. There were no arguments, there was no evidence, there was nothing but an order. She suffered torture in prison and saw other women die and others lose their pregnancies.

Andrés was born and ...uffered during his confinement.

Andrés was born and raised during the first five months of his life with his mother in the Izalco prison, west of San Salvador. Andrés left the Izalco prison on May 29, 2023 with a back full of pimples. The disease he suffers from is called scabies, known as human scabies, caused by humidity and dirt. During the five months that Andrés was in prison, he did not receive any medication against scabies or other diseases that he suffered during his confinement.

Samuel was arrested despite his...on he got sick of skin disease.

Samuel was arrested despite his condition and, for 13 months, he was treated with cruelty: he received beatings from guards, humiliating punishments, his cellmates stole his food and medicine, and he was forced to live in aberrant conditions. He claims to have seen several cellmates commit suicide by hanging. He's a mentally ill man who was captured during the State of Exception. In prison he got sick of skin disease.

After almost three years of Sta...ril 2022 and remains in prison.

After almost three years of State of Exception Thousands of children grow up without their parents in El Salvador. José Duval Mata's children play at their house in the rural area of Usulután, eastern El Salvador. José was captured in April 2022 and remains in prison.

Andrés is a 28-year-...again, without any explanation.

Andrés is a 28-year-old young man, a resident of a rural canton in the east of the country. In 2022, he became the first college graduate in his family. Three months after obtaining his degree as an engineer, he was arrested under the State of Exception, without the capturing agents giving any other explanation than that his name was “written down” on a list. Andrés was detained for 8 and a half months, of which he remembers, above all, the hunger. He claims to have seen hundreds of cases of severe malnutrition, which remind him, he says, of the images of the victims of the German concentration camps during the Second World War. One day, he was notified that he was free, only to be arrested again at the exit of the prison, again, without any explanation.

A police officer attends the de...because they behaved nervously.

A police officer attends the demonstration of relatives of victims of the State of Exception. The police officer loaded his weapon and took a guard position. Human rights organizations have accused the El Salvador police of acting as judges and capturing thousands of innocent people. In cases documented by investigative newspapers, it was revealed that police officers captured people because they behaved nervously.

Dozens of relatives of those ca... without seeing their families.

Dozens of relatives of those captured during the State of Exception protested in front of the presidential house on December 10, 2024, to ask the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, to allow them to see their relatives for Christmas that year. Thousands of prisoners have gone three Christmases without seeing their families.

Bryan López'...tem after that he was captured.

Bryan López's father wore a shirt with a photograph of his son during one of the first protests against the State of Exception in September 2022. Bryan's relatives had declared him missing after not finding him in the prison system after that he was captured.

In December 2024, the mothers o... the country's prisons.

In December 2024, the mothers of hundreds of those captured during the State of Exception marched for kilometers to protest against the government of the Salvadoran president and demand better conditions within the country's prisons.

People line up to show their ID...ate of exception in April 2022.

People line up to show their IDs to police at a checkpoint in Distrito Italia, a dangerous neighborhood in El Salvador, during the first days of the state of exception in April 2022.

In March 2022, at the beginning... their arrested family members.

In March 2022, at the beginning of the state of exception, dozens of people slept outside the Mariona jail in San Salvador to find more information about their arrested family members.

On April 27, 2022, Noelys Gonz&... Izalco in western El Salvador.

On April 27, 2022, Noelys González was standing on the edge of the mud street that leads to the Izalco prison, under the storm, from afar she watched to see if her brother would appear. Her brother, a motorcyclist, was arrested on April 7, 2022, in Juayúa, Sonsonate department. Most, like Noelys, ended the day frustrated and suffocated by the heat and rain of the season in Izalco in western El Salvador.

The relatives of the captured p...n the Salvadoran prison system.

The relatives of the captured people arrived at the detention center, known as El Penalito in San Salvador, to look for their detained relative. Many of the captured people were declared missing by their family because it was impossible to find them in the Salvadoran prison system.

Dozens of people looking for in...rst days of State of Exception.

Dozens of people looking for information about their captured relatives around Izalco jail in Sonsonate, a city west of San Salvador, in April 2022. Some people traveled for hours and slept in the street because they lived up to five hours away from the jail. Until now, three years later, the people are loking for their relatives that were captured durign the first days of State of Exception.

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Thumbnail of A man is taken into custody by p_lca, El Salvador, 27 March 2022.

Thumbnail of A young man is taken to prison b_ving no ties to criminal groups.

Thumbnail of During the first days of the Sta_ a relationship with each other.

Thumbnail of On december 3 of 2022 salvadoran_ntrol of MS-13, a criminal gang.

Thumbnail of A man with tattoos waits to be i_ry's state of emergency.

Thumbnail of A group of prisoners waits at th_d in the prisons of El Salvador.

Thumbnail of A woman carries her baby and tri_lmost three years of the regime.

Thumbnail of People arrested in September 202_ding more than a year in prison.

Thumbnail of Cecilia Abrego holds a t-shirt w_ take care of his grandchildren.

Thumbnail of On August 16, 2022, Uziel de Jes_s during the State of Exception.

Thumbnail of A 16-year-old boy who was captur_all town in eastern El Salvador.

Thumbnail of Relatives of Juan Saú_ord but the police captured him.

Thumbnail of An altar in honor of Juan Castil_f the government of El Salvador.

Thumbnail of Maria Elena cries above of his s_ of medical treatment in prison.

Thumbnail of Rodrigo Vázquez Jr. w_ry's state of exception.

Thumbnail of Relatives of Rodrigo V&aacut_g his funeral on March 13, 2023.

Thumbnail of Alba is 28 years old, she is the_d others lose their pregnancies.

Thumbnail of Andrés was born and r_suffered during his confinement.

Thumbnail of Samuel was arrested despite his _son he got sick of skin disease.

Thumbnail of After almost three years of Stat_pril 2022 and remains in prison.

Thumbnail of Andrés is a 28-year-o_ again, without any explanation.

Thumbnail of A police officer attends the dem_ because they behaved nervously.

Thumbnail of Dozens of relatives of those cap_s without seeing their families.

Thumbnail of Bryan López's_stem after that he was captured.

Thumbnail of In December 2024, the mothers of_n the country's prisons.

Thumbnail of People line up to show their IDs_tate of exception in April 2022.

Thumbnail of In March 2022, at the beginning _t their arrested family members.

Thumbnail of On April 27, 2022, Noelys Gonz&a_n Izalco in western El Salvador.

Thumbnail of The relatives of the captured pe_in the Salvadoran prison system.

Thumbnail of Dozens of people looking for inf_irst days of State of Exception.

Public Project

Life and Death in a Country Without Constitutional Rights

Updated Mar 2025

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 until 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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