The Daily Populous Thursday April 16th, 2026 evening edition
Authored by apnews.com and submitted by Naurgul

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SAN SALVADOR (AP) — Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Wednesday signed into law constitutional reforms to permit life prison sentences for people as young as 12, a contentious reform that follows other heavy-handed measures pushed through by the populist leader.

The change was passed last month by the Legislative Assembly, which is controlled by Bukele’s party, and would apply to people convicted of committing or acting as an accomplice to crimes including homicide, femicide, rape and gang membership. The measure was pushed forward by Bukele’s cabinet.

Previously, the maximum sentence in El Salvador was 60 years for adults and less for youths. The reforms slated to take effect April 26 would create new criminal courts to try cases. They also stipulate a mandatory review of life terms decades into the sentences, depending on the age of the convict and the gravity of their crimes.

Critics say the reforms are just the latest harsh move by Bukele more than four years into his war on gangs.

Following a burst of gang violence in 2022, Bukele announced a then-temporary state of emergency, which has become the new normal in the Central American nation as it’s been extended for years. He suspended constitutional rights and locked up more than 1% of El Salvador’s population, often on vague charges with little evidence. Prisoners are often judged in mass trials and lawyers regularly lose track of where their clients are.

In one mass trial last year, alleged gang members were handed sentences of hundreds of years.

Officials in Bukele’s government have previously vowed that gang members detained “will never return” to the streets.

Under the crackdown, Bukele’s government has detained around 91,650 people in El Salvador. Bukele has said that less than 10% of those people have been released.

It’s fueled accusations of human rights abuses and arbitrary detention, but also sharply dipped homicide rates in a country long terrorized by gangs, handing Bukele soaring popularity levels.

The right-wing ally of U.S. President Donald Trump has been fiercely criticized for weakening checks and balances and undermining El Salvador’s fragile democracy.

The sentencing changes are the latest in a slew of constitutional reforms jammed through by Bukele and his allies. Last year, the government pushed through one of its most contentious reforms that would eliminate presidential term limits, paving the way for Bukele to remain in power indefinitely.

Emboldened by Bukele’s alliance with U.S. President Donald Trump, the government has also gone after its enemies, detaining critics and activists, and increasingly forcing journalists and opposition voices to choose between exile or prison.

Human rights organizations have documented cases of arbitrary detentions for years, and one of them even filed a complaint before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, stating that the vast majority of those imprisoned under the state of emergency were detained arbitrarily, something the leader denies.

abellapa on April 16th, 2026 at 13:06 UTC »

Im dumbfounded , life in prison for kids ?

Kids like that need a support system ,not being thrown away to a prison Forever

Immediate-Spite-5905 on April 16th, 2026 at 12:04 UTC »

to anyone cheering this, 12 year old means you're still in primary school

Naurgul on April 16th, 2026 at 10:54 UTC »

Submission statement:

Bukele has signed into law a constitutional reform to imprison for life people as young as 12 years old. This plays into his image as a macho tough-on-crime strongman but at the expense of human rights and the destruction of thousands of lives, many innocent. Reminder that he suspended constitutional rights and locked up more than 1% of El Salvador’s population, often on vague charges with little evidence. Prisoners are often judged in mass trials and lawyers regularly lose track of where their clients are. He also has a deal with the US so the latter can disappear people it doesn't like into this prison system too.

Additional reading for context:

On imprisoning children without due process:

Thousands of children swept up in El Salvador mass arrests, rights body says (7/2024)

How he got into power:

A gang leader released by Bukele reveals his pacts with the government of El Salvador (5/2025)

On the effectiveness of his tough-on-crime approach:

The world’s most violent region needs a new approach to crime • Gangs are gaining ground in Latin America. Iron-fist policies won’t beat them back (5/2024) The Problem With El Salvador’s Crime Numbers • Bukele’s government has been undercounting homicides since its 2022 crackdown. (8/2024)

On repressing civil society:

El Salvador arrests human rights lawyer critical of President Bukele (5/2025) First he busted gangs. Now Nayib Bukele busts critics • El Salvador’s president has all the tools of repression he needs to stay in power indefinitely (6/2025) Bukele's Crackdown in El Salvador Forces Human Rights Groups to Flee (7/2025)