First 2,000 gangsters transferred to El Salvador mega-prison

The first 2,000 gang members are transferred to the mega-prison "Terrorism Confinement Center" in San Vicente, El Salvador designed to hold 40,000 criminals. The mega prison was built on President Bukele's orders after he declared a "war" on gangs last March.

The Central American nation of El Salvador has transferred 2,000 people accused of gang membership to a recently opened “mega-prison”. The transfer comes after a wave of anti-gang operations in which police swept up more than 64,000 people and key civil liberties were suspended.

In a Twitter post, President Nayib Bukele celebrated the arrival of the alleged gang members at the prison, which has space for 40,000 people and is said to be the largest in the Americas.

Bukele and his allies passed a controversial “state of exception” last year, suspending key rights such as the right to a lawyer and the right to private communication. The declaration also allowed police to make arrests without a warrant and without explanation.

Human rights groups have criticised the measures, accusing the government of empowering itself to act with impunity with little recourse for the wrongfully imprisoned. Dozens of imprisoned people have died during the state of exception, which has been extended several times.

However, the crackdown has garnered widespread support from Salvadorans.