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WORLD NEWS Thursday 7 april 2022
El Salvador threatens prison for media sharing gang messages

By MARCOS ALEMÁN gency, the government has
Associated Press limited freedom of associa-
SAN SALVADOR, El Salva- tion, suspended the right to
dor (AP) — El Salvador’s be informed of one’s rights
congress, pushing further in at the time of arrest and
the government’s dramatic denied access to lawyers.
crackdown on gangs, has A suspect can now be held
authorized prison sentenc- for 15 days without charges
es of 10 to 15 years for news rather than 72 hours. Im-
media that reproduce or prisoned gang members
disseminate messages from had their meals reduced
the gangs, alarming press to twice a day, are not al-
freedom groups. lowed out of their cells and
The vote late Tuesday was had their mattresses taken.
the latest in a flurry of leg- Bukele said via Twitter Tues-
islative action against the day that he had sent pro-
gangs after 62 suspected posals to the Legislative
gang killings on March 26 Assembly, adding, “We will
led President Nayib Bukele see, once again, who is
to seek and win a state of with the people and who is
emergency. Harsh mea- with the gangs.”
sures against imprisoned Marcela Pineda, a law-
gang members and in- El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele speaks to the press at Mexico’s National Palace after meeting maker from Bukele’s New
creased prison sentences with the President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico City, March 12, 2019. Ideas Party, said Tuesday
followed, as well as the ar- Associated Press that, “With those reforms
rests of some 6,000 suspect- which thousands of people media” would face 10 to 15 sort of graffiti commonly we are telling the gangsters
ed gang members. inhabiting these gang-con- years in prison for “the re- used to mark gang territory that they can’t send audios
But the newest law ex- trolled communities live ... production or transmission in neighborhoods across El or text chains to generate
pands Bukele’s offensive will create an illusion that is to the general population Salvador.Bukele has lashed fear in the population.”
to the press, another of his not faithful to the truth.” of messages or statements out at the media, as well Bukele had hit that theme
frequent targets. “We con- The reforms passed with af- originating or presumably as nongovernmental orga- earlier in the day, saying
sider these reforms to be a firmative votes from 63 of originating from said crimi- nizations and international there were rumors gangs
clear attempt at censorship the 84 lawmakers and went nal groups, that could gen- bodies that have been might retaliate for the
of media,” the El Salvador into effect when published erate anxiety and panic in critical of some of the mea- crackdown by attacking
Journalists Association said Tuesday night in the official the population.” sures taken against the civilians and he threatened
in a statement Wednes- gazette. The measure also estab- gangs. He accuses them of to withhold food from im-
day. “Prohibiting journalism The law says that “radio, lishes prison sentences of 10 siding with the criminals. prisoned gang members if
from reporting the reality in television, written or digital to 15 years for painting the Under the state of emer- they did. q

U.N. envoy says he’s concerned about Yemen truce violations

By SAMY MAGDY not immediately available lier this month. It is supposed
Associated Press for comment. to last for two months.
CAIRO (AP) — The U.N. en- “This truce is a step, an im- Grundberg cautioned that
voy for Yemen expressed portant one, but a fragile the cease-fire is not being
concerns on Wednesday step, nonetheless,” he said. monitored by the U.N. and
about violations of a cease- “We need to make the that the “responsibility to
fire in the war-wrecked best possible use of the uphold the truce is square-
country, urging the warring window this truce gives us ly with the parties them-
sides to uphold the first na- to work towards ending the selves.”
tionwide truce in six years. conflict.” Yemen’s brutal civil war
Hans Grundberg said that The Houthi rebels have erupted in 2014, when the
while the truce has led to been trying for over a year Iranian-backed Houthis
“significant reduction of to capture energy-rich seized the capital of Sanaa
violence” in Yemen, there Marib from government and forced the govern-
were reports of “some hos- forces. ment into exile. The Saudi- Yemeni police inspect a site of Saudi-led airstrikes targeting two
tile military activities,” par- But their efforts were led coalition entered the houses in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, March 26, 2022.
Associated Press
ticularly around the central dashed in recent months war in early 2015 to try re-
city of Marib. amid increasing support to store the government to also includes allowing ship- agree on a reopening of
He did not say which side the pro-government side power. ments of fuel to arrive in Ye- roads around Taiz and oth-
was to blame for the vio- from the Saudi-led coali- The conflict has in recent men’s key port city of Ho- er provinces as part of the
lations but Yemen’s inter- tion. years become a regional deida and for passenger truce.
nationally recognized gov- Grundberg told a virtual proxy war that has killed flights to resume from the “We look forward to their
ernment has accused the news conference that the more than 150,000 people, airport in Sanaa. Both Ho- responses,” he said.
Iran-backed rebel Houthis United Nations was working including over 14.500 civil- deida and Sanaa are held Taiz, which remains partially
of attacking their positions on a coordination mecha- ians. It has also created by the Houthis. held by the forces fighting
in southern and western nism with the warring sides one of the worst humanitar- The U.N. envoy said he on behalf of the govern-
Marib. to maintain the truce, ian crises in the world. has invited with both sides ment, has been blockaded
A Houthi spokesman was which was announced ear- The U.N.-announced truce to convene a meeting to by the Houthis for years.q