El Salvador Approves Life Imprisonment Amendment

El Salvador's congress approved a constitutional amendment on Tuesday that lifts the ban on life imprisonment, allowing such sentences for murderers, rapists, and terrorists as part of President Nayib Bukele's ongoing crackdown on gang violence.

The Legislative Assembly, dominated by lawmakers from Bukele's Nuevas Ideas party, passed the reform with 59 votes in favor and one against during a plenary session in San Salvador. The measure modifies Article 27 of the constitution, which previously prohibited life sentences and emphasized the rehabilitation of offenders, capping actual time served at 60 years despite courts occasionally issuing longer terms. The updated text states that life imprisonment shall apply only to those specific crimes, while maintaining prohibitions on imprisonment for debt, degrading punishments, exile, and torture.

Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro presented the proposal to the assembly, arguing it would ensure the country's security gains are irreversible. "That sense of security, combined with justice, leads us to review all crime statistics, and we have been analyzing trends in homicides and rapes," Villatoro told lawmakers. He added that the nation...