San Salvador, El Salvador – The government of El Salvador, led by President Nayib Bukele, proposed a controversial reform on Thursday, March 19, 2026, that would allow for life imprisonment for minors convicted of murder or rape, even if they are not affiliated with gangs. The proposal, which expands on recently approved constitutional changes, is now before the Legislative Assembly, where Bukele’s party holds a majority. The move underscores the country’s increasingly hardline stance on crime and raises concerns about human rights.
The proposed amendment builds upon a constitutional reform approved by the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at Bukele’s request, which already imposed life sentences for “homicides, rapists and terrorists.” This latest initiative seeks to extend those severe penalties to individuals under the age of 18.
“We are proposing to bring that judgment to the penalty of life imprisonment even in the case of minors,” explained Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro, as he presented the initiative to a legislative committee. “As we are treating minors who belong to terrorist organizations” who commit these crimes.”
Villatoro argued that minors who voluntarily join criminal organizations or commit violent acts like rape or murder should be subject to “different treatment” than those who commit less serious offenses. He justified the measure by claiming that the juvenile penal system had historically provided “cheap, unpunished and recyclable human resources” to criminal groups.
Defense Minister Francis Merino echoed this sentiment, stating that many gang-related homicides were “a product of the permissibility of the laws that require to be reformed.”
Currently, the maximum sentence in El Salvador is 60 years, and life imprisonment is expressly prohibited by the Constitution. The constitutional amendment requires ratification by the Legislative Assembly, whereas the specific legislation concerning minors will be subject to a separate vote in the coming days.
Last year, at Bukele’s request, the Legislative Assembly amended a law to send minors detained on suspicion of gang ties to adult prisons, where they will be separated from adult inmates until they turn 18.
The move comes amid growing international scrutiny of El Salvador’s security policies. A July 2024 report by Human Rights Watch documented the detention of over 3,000 children and adolescents under the state of exception, which has been in place for more than four years as part of the government’s crackdown on gangs. The organization deemed these detentions a violation of international norms.
Bukele enjoys high levels of popularity in El Salvador, largely due to a significant reduction in homicide rates and the dismantling of powerful gangs like Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, which have been designated as terrorist organizations by both the United States and El Salvador.
However, his security policies, which several Latin American countries are considering replicating, have drawn criticism from human rights groups. These groups argue that the state of exception, under which over 91,500 people accused of gang membership or collaboration have been detained without judicial warrants, violates due process rights.
“There is no turning back, unfortunately with gang members that is the reality. There is no possibility of reintegration with gang members, there is no possibility of rehabilitation,” stated Suecy Callejas, a lawmaker from Bukele’s party.
Minister Villatoro noted that life imprisonment is already in effect in countries such as Argentina, Canada, Peru, Chile, and the United States, although the U.S. Allows for the possibility of parole for minors sentenced to life.
National organizations like Cristosal, operating in exile, and international groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have reported widespread arbitrary arrests, torture, deaths in custody, and enforced disappearances.
The escalation of the anti-gang offensive follows a recent report by a group of prominent international jurists who accused the government of committing “crimes against humanity” in its approach to combating crime.
President Bukele has rejected these accusations, dismissing the NGOs as “law firms” defending criminals and alleging they seek the release of thousands of gang members.
