{"code":"26161","sect":"EF Photo","sect_slug":"ef-photo","hits":"871","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202205\/ef_photo\/26161","link_edit":"","name":"The Women Searching for Their Sons in the Dark","slug":"the-women-searching-for-their-sons-in-the-dark","info":"Read in Spanish Fel\u00edcita Aquino carries with her a bag of shoes and clothing for Jos\u00e9 Roberto Aquino, her 32-year-old son arrested on Monday, April 25, in Zacatecoluca, La Paz, where he worked for a group of doctors. The following Wednesday, she stood outside of the town\u2019s supermarket begging for the loose change she needed to buy the clothing, as well as her bus fare to make the 65-kilometer ride to Mariona Prison in the hopes of receiving word of her son. El Salvador\u2019s state of exception , enacted on March 27 on the heels of the most violent weekend in two decades, has denied thousands of women access to their most basic need: information. Women crowd around the country\u2019s prisons and jails in search of any trace of their sons, grandchildren, partners, and fathers. More than 20,000 people have been arrested and can be held for up to 15 days without seeing a judge or accessing legal counsel. The police union has denounced arrest quotas, and Human Rights Watch and their Salvadoran counterpart Cristosal co-published a report that found \u201cevidence of grave abuses\u201d including 160 arbitrary detentions. In some cases, rank-and-file officers argued that they were simply \u201cfollowing orders from above.\u201d The mass arrests have overloaded the prisons. The Public Defender\u2019s Office has collapsed under the strain of supplying attorneys to the thousands of detainees. On a dirt road outside Izalco Prison in Sonsonate, dozens of women from around the country endure the sun and rain for days as they search for any shred of information about their family members detained during the state of exception. Most of the women crowded around the prison either tend to their homes or are informal workers who set aside their jobs to begin their search. For many of them, the arrest in question meant the loss of income to cover daily expenses. Some have resorted to sleeping in the streets, while others join forces to amass a few dollars to crowd into a hotel room overnight and continue waiting. The amount of detainees released every day after attending mass virtual pre-trial hearings can be counted on two hands. Some of the women waiting outside have gone weeks without knowing where their family members are being held. They wait outside with the hope that perhaps a police officer will tell them something \u2014anything\u2014 or that their family member will walk out. They do so without even knowing whether they have come to the right place.","mtag":"Inequality","noun":{"html":"\u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/cbarrera'\u003E Carlos Barrera\u003C\/span\u003E y \u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/vpena'\u003E V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\u003C\/span\u003E","data":{"carlos-barrera":{"sort":"cbarrera","slug":"carlos-barrera","path":"carlos_barrera","name":"Carlos Barrera","edge":"0","init":"0"},"victor-pena":{"sort":"vpena","slug":"victor-pena","path":"victor_pena","name":"V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a","edge":"1","init":"0"}}},"view":"871","pict":{"cms-image-000037498-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37498","name":"cms-image-000037498.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037498.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037498.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037498-jpg","text":"<p>Dozens of people travel every day to Izalco Prison in search of their family members detained during the state of exception. Most of those waiting for hours under the sun or in the rain are women looking for their sons, husbands, fathers, grandsons, and brothers. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EDozens of people travel every day to Izalco Prison in search of their family members detained during the state of exception. Most of those waiting for hours under the sun or in the rain are women looking for their sons, husbands, fathers, grandsons, and brothers. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037499-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37499","name":"cms-image-000037499.JPG","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037499.JPG","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037499.JPG","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037499-jpg","text":"<p>Like many other women waiting outside of La Esperanza Prison (more widely known as \"Mariona\"), this woman, 59, prefers not to identify herself by name. She sells shoes for a living in the coastal towns near Puerto El Triunfo, Usulut\u00e1n. On April 11 the police arrested her son, \u00d3scar Armando Lozano, 33, as he was coming home from collecting his weekly farmworker\u2019s wages. Since then, she has waited outside of the prison for information about her son. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ELike many other women waiting outside of La Esperanza Prison (more widely known as \"Mariona\"), this woman, 59, prefers not to identify herself by name. She sells shoes for a living in the coastal towns near Puerto El Triunfo, Usulut\u00e1n. On April 11 the police arrested her son, \u00d3scar Armando Lozano, 33, as he was coming home from collecting his weekly farmworker\u2019s wages. Since then, she has waited outside of the prison for information about her son. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037500-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37500","name":"cms-image-000037500.JPG","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037500.JPG","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037500.JPG","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037500-jpg","text":"<p>Every morning, dozens of women arrive at the Public Defender\u2019s Office in search of information on the cases of their detained family members and to seek out a public defender able to take on their case. Most of them boarded the first bus to arrive in the early morning. The nine women in this group traveled to the capital from Cojutepeque, San Vicente, Ilobasco, and Usulut\u00e1n. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EEvery morning, dozens of women arrive at the Public Defender\u2019s Office in search of information on the cases of their detained family members and to seek out a public defender able to take on their case. Most of them boarded the first bus to arrive in the early morning. The nine women in this group traveled to the capital from Cojutepeque, San Vicente, Ilobasco, and Usulut\u00e1n. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037501-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37501","name":"cms-image-000037501.JPG","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037501.JPG","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037501.JPG","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037501-jpg","text":"<p>Women approached the new cell block in Mariona to try to catch a glimpse of their family members as detainees poked their heads out of the windows. The Prison Bureau responded by sealing the windows with a layer of sheet metal. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EWomen approached the new cell block in Mariona to try to catch a glimpse of their family members as detainees poked their heads out of the windows. The Prison Bureau responded by sealing the windows with a layer of sheet metal. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037502-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37502","name":"cms-image-000037502.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037502.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037502.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037502-jpg","text":"<p>Mar\u00eda Gonz\u00e1lez, 65, has traveled to Izalco Prison for four days in a row with the hope that they will free her son, detained on March 30 in San Salvador. She withholds his name for his safety: \u201cMy son is the breadwinner of my home. He\u2019s a metal worker. Now we are living on his savings. This is a grave injustice,\u201d she said before calling over her son\u2019s partner to say that the authorities were about to let him go. By the end of the day, though, no detainees had been released. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EMar\u00eda Gonz\u00e1lez, 65, has traveled to Izalco Prison for four days in a row with the hope that they will free her son, detained on March 30 in San Salvador. She withholds his name for his safety: \u201cMy son is the breadwinner of my home. He\u2019s a metal worker. Now we are living on his savings. This is a grave injustice,\u201d she said before calling over her son\u2019s partner to say that the authorities were about to let him go. By the end of the day, though, no detainees had been released. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037503-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37503","name":"cms-image-000037503.JPG","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037503.JPG","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037503.JPG","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037503-jpg","text":"<p>\u201cI\u2019ll give you information, but do me a favor and break it up,\u201d a guard standing at the gate outside Mariona told the crowd. \u201cI recommend you come back in two weeks to ask. You can give me the name, but that doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ll be able to do anything for you. There are thousands of detainees. I recommend that you wait and have patience.\u201d Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019ll give you information, but do me a favor and break it up,\u201d a guard standing at the gate outside Mariona told the crowd. \u201cI recommend you come back in two weeks to ask. You can give me the name, but that doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ll be able to do anything for you. There are thousands of detainees. I recommend that you wait and have patience.\u201d Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037504-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37504","name":"cms-image-000037504.JPG","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037504.JPG","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037504.JPG","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037504-jpg","text":"<p>In this group of women is Roxana Pe\u00f1a. She came to look for her son and stopped to see whether he would step out of a bus that transferred prisoners from Mariona to their hearing in San Salvador. She set aside her job at a cafeteria in Colonia Santa Luc\u00eda in Ilopango to handle her son\u2019s case, and has spent over $300 on legal paperwork and on the first round of attorney\u2019s fees. She declined to mention her son by name out of fear that authorities will retaliate against him. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EIn this group of women is Roxana Pe\u00f1a. She came to look for her son and stopped to see whether he would step out of a bus that transferred prisoners from Mariona to their hearing in San Salvador. She set aside her job at a cafeteria in Colonia Santa Luc\u00eda in Ilopango to handle her son\u2019s case, and has spent over $300 on legal paperwork and on the first round of attorney\u2019s fees. She declined to mention her son by name out of fear that authorities will retaliate against him. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037505-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37505","name":"cms-image-000037505.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037505.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037505.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037505-jpg","text":"<p>Gloria Marina Flores L\u00f3pez, 64, lives in a home of sheet metal and wood in Cantarrana, Santa Ana. She is the mother of Marvin Alexander Flores, 29, who graduated from the Central American University\u2019s Political Training School in 2019 and is seeking a degree in social work from the Lutheran University. Marvin, the sole provider in the household, supported his family thanks to a scholarship and his work as an event photographer. On April 24, he was arrested in Colonia La Esmeralda, Santa Ana, while visiting his partner. He was handcuffed along with his brother-in-law and sent to Mariona Prison. Gloria is now alone, and an injured knee has prevented her from traveling. She is now getting by on the generosity of her neighbors. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EGloria Marina Flores L\u00f3pez, 64, lives in a home of sheet metal and wood in Cantarrana, Santa Ana. She is the mother of Marvin Alexander Flores, 29, who graduated from the Central American University\u2019s Political Training School in 2019 and is seeking a degree in social work from the Lutheran University. Marvin, the sole provider in the household, supported his family thanks to a scholarship and his work as an event photographer. On April 24, he was arrested in Colonia La Esmeralda, Santa Ana, while visiting his partner. He was handcuffed along with his brother-in-law and sent to Mariona Prison. Gloria is now alone, and an injured knee has prevented her from traveling. She is now getting by on the generosity of her neighbors. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037506-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37506","name":"cms-image-000037506.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037506.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037506.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037506-jpg","text":"<p>\u201cRumors run wild\u201d on the street leading to Izalco Prison, says one police officer. \u201cDespite how much you tell these women not to come, they will always find their way here,\u201d he added as a group of women crowded around a patrol car at night on April 28 when they learned that none of their family members would be freed that day. \u201cYou try to understand their perspective, because of course a mother or a wife would do it for a man, but we can\u2019t do anything to help them here.\u201d Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003E\u201cRumors run wild\u201d on the street leading to Izalco Prison, says one police officer. \u201cDespite how much you tell these women not to come, they will always find their way here,\u201d he added as a group of women crowded around a patrol car at night on April 28 when they learned that none of their family members would be freed that day. \u201cYou try to understand their perspective, because of course a mother or a wife would do it for a man, but we can\u2019t do anything to help them here.\u201d Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037507-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37507","name":"cms-image-000037507.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037507.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037507.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037507-jpg","text":"<p>At night on April 27, four men were released from Izalco Prison who had been arrested in different parts of El Salvador during the state of exception. One of them, still wearing the standard white prison garb and named Julio, wrapped his arm around his partner as they ran in the rain. She, five months pregnant, had waited two days for him outside of the prison before he was released. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EAt night on April 27, four men were released from Izalco Prison who had been arrested in different parts of El Salvador during the state of exception. One of them, still wearing the standard white prison garb and named Julio, wrapped his arm around his partner as they ran in the rain. She, five months pregnant, had waited two days for him outside of the prison before he was released. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037508-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"37508","name":"cms-image-000037508.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037508.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037508.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037508-jpg","text":"<p>Rain poured down on Izalco, Sonsonate, on the night of April 27. Data from the Ministry of the Environment shows that the town in western El Salvador was among those that received the most precipitation in the country that day. Despite the weather, dozens of women, some of them pregnant or accompanied by children, arrived from departments including San Miguel, Usulut\u00e1n, and San Salvador to see if their family members would be released. Most come from families unable to pay for daily transportation and joined together in groups of ten to pay the $30 to escape the rain in a hotel room. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ERain poured down on Izalco, Sonsonate, on the night of April 27. Data from the Ministry of the Environment shows that the town in western El Salvador was among those that received the most precipitation in the country that day. Despite the weather, dozens of women, some of them pregnant or accompanied by children, arrived from departments including San Miguel, Usulut\u00e1n, and San Salvador to see if their family members would be released. Most come from families unable to pay for daily transportation and joined together in groups of ten to pay the $30 to escape the rain in a hotel room. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000037509-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"37509","name":"cms-image-000037509.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037509.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000037509.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000037509-jpg","text":"<p>By 7:30 at night on April 27, the four men released from Izalco had already been reunited with their families. Noelys Gonz\u00e1lez continued waiting in the storm, along the edge of the dirt road leading to the prison facility, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her brother, a cab driver arrested on April 7 in Juay\u00faa, Sonsonate. She had no idea how she would return home that night. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll leave here on foot or sleep here in the street. I was hoping my brother would be released today, and I\u2019ll stay here. Maybe he\u2019ll show. Every day dozens of women trod down this path with the same hope. Most of them end the day frustrated and exhausted from the heat and seasonal rain. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EBy 7:30 at night on April 27, the four men released from Izalco had already been reunited with their families. Noelys Gonz\u00e1lez continued waiting in the storm, along the edge of the dirt road leading to the prison facility, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her brother, a cab driver arrested on April 7 in Juay\u00faa, Sonsonate. She had no idea how she would return home that night. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll leave here on foot or sleep here in the street. I was hoping my brother would be released today, and I\u2019ll stay here. Maybe he\u2019ll show. Every day dozens of women trod down this path with the same hope. Most of them end the day frustrated and exhausted from the heat and seasonal rain. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":37509,"date":{"live":"2022\/05\/09"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2022","data_post_dateLive_MM":"05","data_post_dateLive_DD":"09","text":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37498 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Dozens of people travel every day to Izalco Prison in search of their family members detained during the state of exception. Most of those waiting for hours under the sun or in the rain are women looking for their sons, husbands, fathers, grandsons, and brothers. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Dozens of people travel every day to Izalco Prison in search of their family members detained during the state of exception. Most of those waiting for hours under the sun or in the rain are women looking for their sons, husbands, fathers, grandsons, and brothers. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37499 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Like many other women waiting outside of La Esperanza Prison (more widely known as \"Mariona\"), this woman, 59, prefers not to identify herself by name. She sells shoes for a living in the coastal towns near Puerto El Triunfo, Usulut\u00e1n. On April 11 the police arrested her son, \u00d3scar Armando Lozano, 33, as he was coming home from collecting his weekly farmworker\u2019s wages. Since then, she has waited outside of the prison for information about her son. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Like many other women waiting outside of La Esperanza Prison (more widely known as \"Mariona\"), this woman, 59, prefers not to identify herself by name. She sells shoes for a living in the coastal towns near Puerto El Triunfo, Usulut\u00e1n. On April 11 the police arrested her son, \u00d3scar Armando Lozano, 33, as he was coming home from collecting his weekly farmworker\u2019s wages. Since then, she has waited outside of the prison for information about her son. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37500 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Every morning, dozens of women arrive at the Public Defender\u2019s Office in search of information on the cases of their detained family members and to seek out a public defender able to take on their case. Most of them boarded the first bus to arrive in the early morning. The nine women in this group traveled to the capital from Cojutepeque, San Vicente, Ilobasco, and Usulut\u00e1n. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Every morning, dozens of women arrive at the Public Defender\u2019s Office in search of information on the cases of their detained family members and to seek out a public defender able to take on their case. Most of them boarded the first bus to arrive in the early morning. The nine women in this group traveled to the capital from Cojutepeque, San Vicente, Ilobasco, and Usulut\u00e1n. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37501 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Women approached the new cell block in Mariona to try to catch a glimpse of their family members as detainees poked their heads out of the windows. The Prison Bureau responded by sealing the windows with a layer of sheet metal. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Women approached the new cell block in Mariona to try to catch a glimpse of their family members as detainees poked their heads out of the windows. The Prison Bureau responded by sealing the windows with a layer of sheet metal. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37502 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Mar\u00eda Gonz\u00e1lez, 65, has traveled to Izalco Prison for four days in a row with the hope that they will free her son, detained on March 30 in San Salvador. She withholds his name for his safety: \u201cMy son is the breadwinner of my home. He\u2019s a metal worker. Now we are living on his savings. This is a grave injustice,\u201d she said before calling over her son\u2019s partner to say that the authorities were about to let him go. By the end of the day, though, no detainees had been released. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Mar\u00eda Gonz\u00e1lez, 65, has traveled to Izalco Prison for four days in a row with the hope that they will free her son, detained on March 30 in San Salvador. She withholds his name for his safety: \u201cMy son is the breadwinner of my home. He\u2019s a metal worker. Now we are living on his savings. This is a grave injustice,\u201d she said before calling over her son\u2019s partner to say that the authorities were about to let him go. By the end of the day, though, no detainees had been released. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37503 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"\u201cI\u2019ll give you information, but do me a favor and break it up,\u201d a guard standing at the gate outside Mariona told the crowd. \u201cI recommend you come back in two weeks to ask. You can give me the name, but that doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ll be able to do anything for you. There are thousands of detainees. I recommend that you wait and have patience.\u201d Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E \u201cI\u2019ll give you information, but do me a favor and break it up,\u201d a guard standing at the gate outside Mariona told the crowd. \u201cI recommend you come back in two weeks to ask. You can give me the name, but that doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019ll be able to do anything for you. There are thousands of detainees. I recommend that you wait and have patience.\u201d Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37504 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"In this group of women is Roxana Pe\u00f1a. She came to look for her son and stopped to see whether he would step out of a bus that transferred prisoners from Mariona to their hearing in San Salvador. She set aside her job at a cafeteria in Colonia Santa Luc\u00eda in Ilopango to handle her son\u2019s case, and has spent over $300 on legal paperwork and on the first round of attorney\u2019s fees. She declined to mention her son by name out of fear that authorities will retaliate against him. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E In this group of women is Roxana Pe\u00f1a. She came to look for her son and stopped to see whether he would step out of a bus that transferred prisoners from Mariona to their hearing in San Salvador. She set aside her job at a cafeteria in Colonia Santa Luc\u00eda in Ilopango to handle her son\u2019s case, and has spent over $300 on legal paperwork and on the first round of attorney\u2019s fees. She declined to mention her son by name out of fear that authorities will retaliate against him. Photo: V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37505 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Gloria Marina Flores L\u00f3pez, 64, lives in a home of sheet metal and wood in Cantarrana, Santa Ana. She is the mother of Marvin Alexander Flores, 29, who graduated from the Central American University\u2019s Political Training School in 2019 and is seeking a degree in social work from the Lutheran University. Marvin, the sole provider in the household, supported his family thanks to a scholarship and his work as an event photographer. On April 24, he was arrested in Colonia La Esmeralda, Santa Ana, while visiting his partner. He was handcuffed along with his brother-in-law and sent to Mariona Prison. Gloria is now alone, and an injured knee has prevented her from traveling. She is now getting by on the generosity of her neighbors. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Gloria Marina Flores L\u00f3pez, 64, lives in a home of sheet metal and wood in Cantarrana, Santa Ana. She is the mother of Marvin Alexander Flores, 29, who graduated from the Central American University\u2019s Political Training School in 2019 and is seeking a degree in social work from the Lutheran University. Marvin, the sole provider in the household, supported his family thanks to a scholarship and his work as an event photographer. On April 24, he was arrested in Colonia La Esmeralda, Santa Ana, while visiting his partner. He was handcuffed along with his brother-in-law and sent to Mariona Prison. Gloria is now alone, and an injured knee has prevented her from traveling. She is now getting by on the generosity of her neighbors. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37506 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"\u201cRumors run wild\u201d on the street leading to Izalco Prison, says one police officer. \u201cDespite how much you tell these women not to come, they will always find their way here,\u201d he added as a group of women crowded around a patrol car at night on April 28 when they learned that none of their family members would be freed that day. \u201cYou try to understand their perspective, because of course a mother or a wife would do it for a man, but we can\u2019t do anything to help them here.\u201d Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E \u201cRumors run wild\u201d on the street leading to Izalco Prison, says one police officer. \u201cDespite how much you tell these women not to come, they will always find their way here,\u201d he added as a group of women crowded around a patrol car at night on April 28 when they learned that none of their family members would be freed that day. \u201cYou try to understand their perspective, because of course a mother or a wife would do it for a man, but we can\u2019t do anything to help them here.\u201d Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37507 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"At night on April 27, four men were released from Izalco Prison who had been arrested in different parts of El Salvador during the state of exception. One of them, still wearing the standard white prison garb and named Julio, wrapped his arm around his partner as they ran in the rain. She, five months pregnant, had waited two days for him outside of the prison before he was released. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E At night on April 27, four men were released from Izalco Prison who had been arrested in different parts of El Salvador during the state of exception. One of them, still wearing the standard white prison garb and named Julio, wrapped his arm around his partner as they ran in the rain. She, five months pregnant, had waited two days for him outside of the prison before he was released. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37508 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Rain poured down on Izalco, Sonsonate, on the night of April 27. Data from the Ministry of the Environment shows that the town in western El Salvador was among those that received the most precipitation in the country that day. Despite the weather, dozens of women, some of them pregnant or accompanied by children, arrived from departments including San Miguel, Usulut\u00e1n, and San Salvador to see if their family members would be released. Most come from families unable to pay for daily transportation and joined together in groups of ten to pay the $30 to escape the rain in a hotel room. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Rain poured down on Izalco, Sonsonate, on the night of April 27. Data from the Ministry of the Environment shows that the town in western El Salvador was among those that received the most precipitation in the country that day. Despite the weather, dozens of women, some of them pregnant or accompanied by children, arrived from departments including San Miguel, Usulut\u00e1n, and San Salvador to see if their family members would be released. Most come from families unable to pay for daily transportation and joined together in groups of ten to pay the $30 to escape the rain in a hotel room. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=37509 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"By 7:30 at night on April 27, the four men released from Izalco had already been reunited with their families. Noelys Gonz\u00e1lez continued waiting in the storm, along the edge of the dirt road leading to the prison facility, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her brother, a cab driver arrested on April 7 in Juay\u00faa, Sonsonate. She had no idea how she would return home that night. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll leave here on foot or sleep here in the street. I was hoping my brother would be released today, and I\u2019ll stay here. Maybe he\u2019ll show. Every day dozens of women trod down this path with the same hope. Most of them end the day frustrated and exhausted from the heat and seasonal rain. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E By 7:30 at night on April 27, the four men released from Izalco had already been reunited with their families. Noelys Gonz\u00e1lez continued waiting in the storm, along the edge of the dirt road leading to the prison facility, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her brother, a cab driver arrested on April 7 in Juay\u00faa, Sonsonate. She had no idea how she would return home that night. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ll leave here on foot or sleep here in the street. I was hoping my brother would be released today, and I\u2019ll stay here. Maybe he\u2019ll show. Every day dozens of women trod down this path with the same hope. Most of them end the day frustrated and exhausted from the heat and seasonal rain. Photo: Carlos Barrera\/El Faro \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E*Translated by Roman Gressier\u003C\/p\u003E"}