The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has requested that El Salvador protect three deported Salvadoran men who, the commission says, have been held without access to lawyers or relatives since their arrival. Two are detained in a Santa Ana prison and a third — described by the government as linked to Mara Salvatrucha — has been held in a gang facility since March. The commission granted protective measures citing a serious risk to life and personal integrity amid nearly 90,000 arrests under the March 2022 state of emergency, and it said El Salvador has not provided details on visitation or shown signs of compliance.
Human Rights Body Urges El Salvador to Protect Deported Men Held Incommunicado
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has requested that El Salvador protect three deported Salvadoran men who, the commission says, have been held without access to lawyers or relatives since their arrival. Two are detained in a Santa Ana prison and a third — described by the government as linked to Mara Salvatrucha — has been held in a gang facility since March. The commission granted protective measures citing a serious risk to life and personal integrity amid nearly 90,000 arrests under the March 2022 state of emergency, and it said El Salvador has not provided details on visitation or shown signs of compliance.
10:53 AM, 11/19/2025Security
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has urged El Salvador to protect three Salvadoran men who were deported from the United States and, the commission says, have been held without contact with lawyers or relatives since their arrival.
According to the government, William Alexander Martínez Ruano, 21, and José Osmín Santos Robles, 41, are detained in a prison in Santa Ana. A third man, Brandon Bladimir Sigarán Cruz, 22, whom authorities have described as an active member of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, has reportedly been held in the country's new gang prison since March.
The commission said the case reflects a broader problem tied to the state of emergency declared in March 2022. Authorities have arrested nearly 90,000 people under the emergency powers granted to President Nayib Bukele as part of a large-scale crackdown on powerful street gangs.
Relatives and a lawyer filed habeas corpus petitions in El Salvador on behalf of the three men, and the nongovernmental Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy requested that the Inter-American Commission adopt protective measures on their behalf.
The commission — an autonomous body of the Organization of American States — granted the request, citing a “serious risk to their rights to life and personal integrity.” It said such protective measures are intended to prevent irreparable harm.
El Salvador provided information about the detainees’ status but did not deny that the men have been held incommunicado. The commission had specifically asked whether visits by relatives and lawyers were permitted; the government did not supply that information. The commission noted that El Salvador is expected to comply with its instructions and report back, but it saw no indication the government planned to ease restrictions or fully follow the recommendations.
The body also recalled that in September it issued similar protective measures for two Salvadoran lawyers, Ruth López and Enrique Anaya, who were detained and held without contact and are known critics of the government.
Lawyer Jayme Magaña of the Wings for Freedom movement, who is not representing the detainees, said people held under the ongoing state of emergency often cannot communicate with relatives or attorneys.
“It is something the commission has been saying since the start of the state of emergency,” Magaña said.
The Salvadoran government told the commission that its protective measures should not be used to benefit individuals with criminal histories, arguing that public safety considerations must be weighed.
Separately, earlier this year U.S. authorities transferred more than 250 Venezuelan men accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang to be imprisoned in El Salvador. In July, those men were later returned to Venezuela as part of an exchange that secured the release of 10 Americans then held by Venezuelan authorities.