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        {"code":"27532","sect":"El Salvador","sect_slug":"el-salvador","hits":"423","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202408\/el_salvador\/27532","link_edit":"","name":"Salvadoran Regime Ignores Release Orders in a Dozen Cases: Some Die in Custody","slug":"salvadoran-regime-ignores-release-orders-in-a-dozen-cases-some-die-in-custody","info":"El Faro documented 11 cases of people who were ordered released by a Salvadoran judge but were nonetheless denied release by the Bureau of Prisons. Three died in custody while others were rearrested without evidence, appearing to point to a pattern under the state of exception.","mtag":"Corruption","noun":{"html":"\u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/elemus'\u003E Efren Lemus\u003C\/span\u003E","data":{"efren-lemus":{"sort":"elemus","slug":"efren-lemus","path":"efren_lemus","name":"Efren Lemus","edge":"0","init":"0"}}},"view":"423","pict":{"cms-image-000038849-jpeg":{"feat":"1","sort":"38849","name":"cms-image-000038849.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000038849.jpeg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000038849.jpeg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000038849-jpeg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Antonio Mel\u00e9ndez, 58, cries before entering Ilopango Prison. Antonio was hoping to see his family before being taken away, but due to a lack of information on detainees, his family was unable to locate him. Photo Carlos Barrera&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EAntonio Mel\u00e9ndez, 58, cries before entering Ilopango Prison. Antonio was hoping to see his family before being taken away, but due to a lack of information on detainees, his family was unable to locate him. Photo Carlos Barrera\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000040856-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"40856","name":"cms-image-000040856.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040856.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040856.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000040856-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Luis Armando Rodr\u00edguez, 52 years old, worked as a bricklayer and had problems with alcoholism. He was arrested on April 21, 2022 in Mejicapa, Santa Mar\u00eda, Usulut\u00e1n. He was transferred to Mariona Prison and later to Quezaltepeque, where he became ill. He had a release order issued by a judge, but the prison authorities failed to comply with it and he died in custody. Photo Carlos Barrera&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ELuis Armando Rodr\u00edguez, 52 years old, worked as a bricklayer and had problems with alcoholism. He was arrested on April 21, 2022 in Mejicapa, Santa Mar\u00eda, Usulut\u00e1n. He was transferred to Mariona Prison and later to Quezaltepeque, where he became ill. He had a release order issued by a judge, but the prison authorities failed to comply with it and he died in custody. Photo Carlos Barrera\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000040857-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"40857","name":"cms-image-000040857.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040857.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040857.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000040857-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;The Bureau of Prisons failed to comply with the release order granted to Juan de Jes\u00fas Orellana Luna, a 28-year-old bricklayer\u2019s assistant who died in state custody on August 25, 2023. Photo courtesy of Movement of Victims of the State of Exception (MOVIR).&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Bureau of Prisons failed to comply with the release order granted to Juan de Jes\u00fas Orellana Luna, a 28-year-old bricklayer\u2019s assistant who died in state custody on August 25, 2023. Photo courtesy of Movement of Victims of the State of Exception (MOVIR).\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000040858-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"40858","name":"cms-image-000040858.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040858.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040858.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000040858-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Release order for one of the two people rearrested for illicit association. The National Civil Police and the Attorney General\u2019s Office created a \u201cnew case\u201d for the same crime. Photo courtesy of the family of one of the detainees.&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ERelease order for one of the two people rearrested for illicit association. The National Civil Police and the Attorney General\u2019s Office created a \u201cnew case\u201d for the same crime. Photo courtesy of the family of one of the detainees.\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000040859-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"40859","name":"cms-image-000040859.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040859.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000040859.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000040859-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;One of five release orders that the Bureau of Prisons has failed to comply with, according to Socorro Jur\u00eddico Humanitario (SJH). On July 22, 2024, the human rights organization denounced Osiris Luna to the Attorney General\u2019s Office for the crime of deprivation of liberty. Photo courtesy of SJH&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EOne of five release orders that the Bureau of Prisons has failed to comply with, according to Socorro Jur\u00eddico Humanitario (SJH). On July 22, 2024, the human rights organization denounced Osiris Luna to the Attorney General\u2019s Office for the crime of deprivation of liberty. Photo courtesy of SJH\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":38849,"date":{"live":"2024\/08\/19"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2024","data_post_dateLive_MM":"08","data_post_dateLive_DD":"19","text":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202408\/el_salvador\/27518\/el-regimen-ningunea-las-ordenes-de-libertad-algunos-murieron-sin-deber-estar-presos\"\u003ELeer en espa\u00f1ol\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn May 16, 2023, the family of Luis Armando Rodr\u00edguez, a 52-year-old Salvadoran man imprisoned in Quezaltepeque under the state of exception, received a document stating that a judge had ordered his immediate release. Mar\u00eda Rodr\u00edguez, the mother of the detainee, still remembers \u201cthe profound joy\u201d of that moment, and how, in the weeks to come, her elation withered into frustration and sadness. \u201cOur lawyer went [to the prison], but they wouldn\u2019t release him. The next day, they said they couldn\u2019t release him because he was a prisoner of the state of exception.\u201d Time passed, until, on June 19, 2023, Rodr\u00edguez was transferred from Quezaltepeque Prison to the Rosales National Hospital in San Salvador. He died two days later.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEl Salvador\u2019s Bureau of Prisons (DGCP) committed several crimes in failing to comply with the release order, human rights organizations say. And Rodriguez\u2019s case is not the only one. Through a review of court records and interviews with family members, El Faro has documented ten other cases in which the Bureau of Prisons delayed or failed to comply with release orders that were signed and sealed by courts specializing in organized crime, without providing any justification.\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn a system shrouded in state secrecy, and in light of these cases and the statements of organizations advocating for the victims of the state of exception for more than two years, it appears that the practice of denying or delaying release is not an aberration, but a pattern.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe Attorney General\u2019s Office keeps all cases related to the state of exception sealed from the public, claiming that disclosing this information could \u201cprovoke panic in the population.\u201d With this as its justification, the state is concealing hundreds of cases marred by insufficient or false evidence, including police reports created after the time of detention, or cases in which officers provided vague and ambiguous justifications for the arrest, \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202208\/el_salvador\/26298\/State-of-Exception-Files-Hundreds-Arrested-for-Prior-Convictions-or-%E2%80%9CLooking-Nervous%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Esuch as a detainee appearing \u201cnervous\u201d or \u201csuspicious.\u201d\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn three of the 11 non-release cases documented by El Faro, the person died in prison, despite having obtained a court order granting their freedom. In three other cases, the person was arrested and charged with the crime of illicit association shortly after being released for the exact same crime. In one case, the person was granted a release order but is still in detention, and his family is afraid to talk about the case for fear of reprisals by the government of Nayib Bukele.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThree other individuals are still being held despite their release orders, according to a complaint filed with the Attorney General\u2019s Office by the Salvadoran human rights organization Socorro Jur\u00eddico Humanitario (SJH). The last case documented by El Faro involves a minor who, despite being declared innocent by a judge, was kept in detention by the Bureau of Prisons for two months without justification.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFive of the 11 cases documented by El Faro were the subject of complaints filed with the Attorney General\u2019s Office by SJH on July 22, 2024. \u201cYou are violating human rights and committing crimes, including forced disappearance, torture, and the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners, and you are disobeying court orders and denying support to victims. All of these are crimes,\u201d rebuked Ingrid Escobar, the director of SJH, minutes before entering the prosecutor\u2019s office in Antiguo Cuscatl\u00e1n to denounce multiple legislative deputies, along with El Salvador\u2019s minister of security, Gustavo Villatoro, Bureau of Prisons director Osiris Luna, and the director of Izalco Prison.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ESJH claims that the director of Izalco Prison committed two crimes: arbitrary detention by an authority and disobeying a court order. The group has also accused the Bureau of Prisons director of the crime of deprivation of liberty for his non-compliance with five release orders. The investigation into these complaints has been assigned to the Directorate for the Defense of Social Interests, a division of the Attorney General\u2019s Office, an institution under the control of the Bukele government since May 2021, when legislative deputies loyal to the president \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202105\/el_salvador\/25452\/New-Legislative-Assembly-Ousts-Supreme-Court-Magistrates-and-Attorney-General.htm\"\u003Eillegally imposed the current attorney general, Rodolfo Delgado\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENeither the letters of release sent by several judges to the director of Izalco Prison, nor the SJH complaints, include the name of the public official responsible and, because the internal hierarchy of the Bureau of Prisons is shrouded in total secrecy, El Faro has not been able to identify the name of this individual.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWhy would SJH turn to an institution that has been co-opted by the ruling regime? \u201cWe know we won\u2019t find justice here. It\u2019s like telling the prosecutor to investigate the person who appointed him. It\u2019s impossible for him to do anything, and we know it. But we have to follow the process, because we\u2019re getting closer to having the Inter-American Court of Human Rights hear our cases, and someday the International Criminal Court as well, but for that to happen, we have to exhaust all possible official avenues [in El Salvador],\u201d Escobar explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn the morning of July 30, 2024, El Faro called Alejo Carbajal, director of communications for the Bureau of Prisons, to request an interview regarding the non-compliance of prison release orders. As has been the agency\u2019s standard practice for years, he did not answer or return the call. El Faro also sent an interview request to the agency\u2019s official e-mail account, but received an automated response in English: \u201cAddress not found.\u201d In recent years, the communications policy of Bureau of Prisons Director Osiris Luna has been to maintain silence in response to allegations of irregularities on his watch, such as the \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202108\/el_salvador\/25670\/Criminal-Investigation-Found-the-Bukele-Administration-Hid-Evidence-of-Negotiations-with-Gangs.htm\"\u003Esecret negotiations between the Bukele government and the gangs\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202109\/el_salvador\/25736\/Top-Bukele-Official-Embezzled-$16-Million-in-Covid-19-Emergency-Food-Supplies.htm\"\u003Etheft of food relief during the pandemic\u003C\/a\u003E, and the hiring of \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202204\/el_salvador\/26121\/Investigaci%C3%B3n-Catedral-Osiris-Luna-gast%C3%B3-$278000-en-supervisores-fantasmas.htm\"\u003Ephantom supervisors\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOrdered released, dead in prison\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe National Civil Police tried to arrest Luis Armando Rodr\u00edguez on April 16, 2022. Police and soldiers came to his home in the Vilma neighborhood of Mejicapa canton, in Santa Mar\u00eda, Usulut\u00e1n, an area once controlled by the Mara Salvatrucha-13. Mar\u00eda, Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s mother, came to the green metal gate at her front entrance and explained to the agents that her son was not a gang member, but a chronic alcoholic who had been suffering from kidney failure for two years. He had even been taking medication for the condition, she told them. The police seemed to heed the mother\u2019s pleas: they took some photographs, but did not arrest her son.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFive days later, on April 21, 2022, police returned to Colonia Vilma and arrested Rodr\u00edguez for illicit association. \u201cNow and then he would work for some bricklayers, but he was sick all the time, and was always drunk,\u201d his mother said. \u201cHe would just lie around in the streets, the poor thing.\u201d Rodr\u00edguez was transferred to Mariona Prison and later to Quezaltepeque. Every month, his family brought him a package of basic necessities and medicine for his kidney condition, but they don\u2019t know if the prison guards ever gave the supplies to him.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMar\u00eda says her family hired a private lawyer and, after jumping through several bureaucratic hoops, managed to obtain a special hearing with an organized crime court in San Miguel, which granted her son conditional release. The family received the official letter on May 16, 2023, and the next day went to the Quezaltepeque Prison to arrange for Rodriguez\u2019s release, but the guards told them that they would need a lawyer to complete the paperwork. The next day, they went to the prison with their lawyer, and the guards told them that they had to return the following day. When they tried a third time, the guards changed their argument: Rodr\u00edguez would not be allowed to leave the prison because he was detained under the state of exception.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe arbitrary decision of the Bureau of Prisons overruled the court order, defying the only constitutional entity in the country with the authority to decide who should be incarcerated and who should be freed. Rodr\u00edguez did not leave the prison.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOne month and three days after the family received the letter of release, on June 19, 2023, the man who, per court order, was supposed to be at home with his family, was rushed from Quezaltepeque Prison to Rosales Hospital, where he died two days later. A doctor with the medical examiner\u2019s office (Instituto de Medicina Legal), recorded the cause of death as \u201cpulmonary edema (preliminary cause, pending report of additional studies).\u201d Employees at the funeral home, however, told his mother that the corpse had arrived with severe bruising around the neck and other wounds on the back \u2014 injuries that were omitted from the official autopsy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAs of July 22, 2024, 309 people have died in prison under the state of exception: 305 adults and four babies, according to data from SJH. Though many of the bodies exhibited clear signs of torture, the medical examiner omitted this information in official reports, limiting the reported cause of death to \u201cpulmonary edema\u201d \u2014 the \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202405\/el_salvador\/27429\/In-El-Salvador-Fear-and-Silence-Shroud-the-Dead.htm\"\u003Eofficial cause widely cited in autopsies of in-custody deaths\u003C\/a\u003E under the state of exception. The forensic information provided by the state in dozens of cases belies the \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202208\/el_salvador\/26351\/Two-Months-after-Wrongful-Arrest-Don-Paco-Returned-Home-in-a-Casket.htm\"\u003Eobvious signs of violence\u003C\/a\u003E that families have found on the bodies.\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=40856 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Luis Armando Rodr\u00edguez, 52 years old, worked as a bricklayer and had problems with alcoholism. He was arrested on April 21, 2022 in Mejicapa, Santa Mar\u00eda, Usulut\u00e1n. He was transferred to Mariona Prison and later to Quezaltepeque, where he became ill. He had a release order issued by a judge, but the prison authorities failed to comply with it and he died in custody. Photo Carlos Barrera\" \/\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 Luis Armando Rodr\u00edguez, 52 years old, worked as a bricklayer and had problems with alcoholism. He was arrested on April 21, 2022 in Mejicapa, Santa Mar\u00eda, Usulut\u00e1n. He was transferred to Mariona Prison and later to Quezaltepeque, where he became ill. He had a release order issued by a judge, but the prison authorities failed to comply with it and he died in custody. Photo Carlos Barrera \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 dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEl Faro consulted with three sources regarding non-compliance with release orders. Salvadoran law mandates that before releasing anyone from custody, the Bureau of Prisons must verify that the individual in question is not the subject of a police or judicial investigation, but there is no set time limit for verifying this information. \u201cIt\u2019s a problem caused by the state of exception,\u201d explained a lawyer with the Central American University\u2019s Human Rights Institute (IDHUCA). \u201cThere\u2019s no way to control whether the Bureau of Prisons actually conducts those inquiries. Before the state of exception, the process would only take three to five days.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA lawyer and a government employee with more than 20 years working for the Judicial Branch, who both spoke with El Faro on condition of anonymity, agreed that the system has become saturated by the thousands of detentions under the state of exception. She said that 15 days should be a sufficient time frame to verify whether a beneficiary of a release order has any cases pending. \u201cIt seems to me that they\u2019re committing illegal and arbitrary acts by failing to obey court orders,\u201d said the lawyer. For her part, the Judicial Branch employee explained that the Salvadoran Penal Code includes the crime of deprivation of liberty by a public official, employee, or authority. \u201cThe code states that the crime of deprivation of liberty is punishable by three to six years in prison, and removal from office,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETwo months after Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s death, on August 25, 2023, another detainee of the state of exception, who also had a release order, died in Quezaltepeque Prison: Juan de Jes\u00fas Orellana Luna, a 28-year-old bricklayer\u2019s assistant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOrellana suffered from hypokalemia (low potassium in the blood) and was arrested on May 30, 2023, while returning home from work in the Las Flores neighborhood of San Francisco Gotera, Moraz\u00e1n. The Attorney General\u2019s Office accused him of illicit association and he was sent to Izalco Prison.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA week after Orellana\u2019s arrest, on June 9, 2023, the Second Court Against Organized Crime C in San Miguel held a special hearing and granted him conditional release because of his delicate bill of health. \u201cThe release of the aforementioned defendant is hereby ordered, following verification that he is not wanted for another crime that might restrict his freedom.\u201d The family received the letter of release three days after the hearing, on June 12, 2023. Orellana\u2019s wife, Johana Hern\u00e1ndez, told \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.elsalvador.com\/noticias\/nacional\/regimen-de-excepcion-muere-reo-carta-libertad\/1092047\/2023\/\"\u003EEl Diario de Hoy\u003C\/a\u003E that she went to Izalco Prison the next day, but that the Bureau of Prisons refused to release him. Between June and July 2023, Johana went to the prison three more times, but again, and without providing any justification, the Bureau of Prisons refused to release her husband, the father of her daughter.\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=2600&ImageHeight=4000&ImageId=40857 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"The Bureau of Prisons failed to comply with the release order granted to Juan de Jes\u00fas Orellana Luna, a 28-year-old bricklayer\u2019s assistant who died in state custody on August 25, 2023. Photo courtesy of Movement of Victims of the State of Exception (MOVIR).\" \/\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 The Bureau of Prisons failed to comply with the release order granted to Juan de Jes\u00fas Orellana Luna, a 28-year-old bricklayer\u2019s assistant who died in state custody on August 25, 2023. Photo courtesy of Movement of Victims of the State of Exception (MOVIR). \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 dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn Aug. 11, 2023, Orellana was transferred from Izalco Prison to Jorge Mazzini Hospital in Sonsonate. He spent more than a week in a coma and died two weeks after his transfer, on August 25. The medical examiner\u2019s report lists the cause of death as \u201cpulmonary edema,\u201d according to documents shared on social media by the Movement of Victims of the State of Exception (MOVIR) and a former FMLN legislator for Moraz\u00e1n, Jaime Guevara. The medical examiner\u2019s report did not mention any evidence of violence, but according to a report published by the Salvadoran human rights group Cristosal on July 10, 2024, titled \u201c\u003Ca href=\"about:blank\"\u003ESilence is Not an Option\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d Orellana had suffered a thoracic hematoma.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA third person detained under the state of exception who had a letter granting their release died in Mariona Prison in April 2024. His name was Francisco, he was a 30-year-old businessman, and he was arrested in January 2023. El Faro is withholding his full name, as well as the details and documents related to his death, at the request of his family. Francisco\u2019s uncle told El Faro that the family had documented his nephew\u2019s innocence \u201cpoint by point,\u201d and had compiled a folder of information proving that he had no history of involvement with gangs, and that he did not have any gang-related tattoos. The uncle said that as a result of these efforts to prove Francisco\u2019s innocence, the family was able to obtain a letter of release, but the authorities refused to comply with it. Francisco\u2019s family did not share these documents because they \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202405\/el_salvador\/27429\/In-El-Salvador-Fear-and-Silence-Shroud-the-Dead.htm\"\u003Efear government reprisals\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOrders ignored at the prison gates\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn Sep. 27, 2022, the Specialized Instruction Court A-3 in San Salvador issued an order to the director of Izalco Prison: \u201cThe court requests that you immediately release the defendant [...] who is accused, along with others, of the crime of illicit association.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe judicial order approved the release of seven people, among them Edenilson, a 22-year-old small business employee in Ciudad Delgado who was arrested under the state of exception on May 10, 2022. Edenilson\u2019s family hired a lawyer, who in three months succeeded in derailing the prosecution\u2019s case. Given the state\u2019s lack of evidence on the charges of illicit association, the judge ordered his conditional release.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe day after the release order was issued, on Sep. 28, 2022, one of Edenilson\u2019s family members, who spoke with El Faro on condition of anonymity, woke up at three in the morning to travel from Ciudad Delgado to Izalco Prison to request his release. But the guard at the prison entrance refused to process the paperwork because, according to Edenilson\u2019s relative, he did not feel like doing it at that moment. \u201cI was on my way back home, but a policeman outside the prison told me to go back and insist that they release him, that they had to process the paperwork. I went back and, this second time, they agreed to accept the release document,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBut Edenilson was not released, as the judge had ordered, in September 2022. Instead, the Attorney General\u2019s Office charged him with a \u201cnew\u201d illicit association offense, while he was still in Izalco Prison. In other words, the Attorney General\u2019s Office accused him first of belonging to a criminal group in Ciudad Delgado, then later, when the judge ordered his release due to lack of evidence, prosecutors accused him of the same crime in a different court in Santa Ana.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cHe was charged in Santa Ana because that\u2019s where the courts are that have jurisdiction over Izalco Prison,\u201d said the source from the judiciary who spoke about the case and provided documents anonymously, for fear of losing her job. \u201cThey opened a new case on the charge of illicit association, but during the months when the crime was allegedly committed, the defendant was detained in Izalco. They decide where to send him. They can\u2019t accuse him of illicit association again, while he was in prison, because his associations with other people are controlled by the Bureau of Prisons. He could easily be released on double jeopardy; nobody can be prosecuted twice for the same crime. It\u2019s an arbitrary and crass way to go about keeping him in detention,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEl Faro has been communicating with Edenilson\u2019s relatives since the end of 2022. The source said that Edenilson\u2019s family eventually ran out of money to pay the private lawyer who had obtained the first release order. Their only option left was to seek the help of the Solicitor General\u2019s Office. Whether a public defender has taken any action in response to their petition remains a mystery to Edenilson\u2019s family: they are not aware of any steps officials have taken, and the office has not answered any of their calls. Edenilson is still in prison.\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=2717&ImageHeight=4000&ImageId=40858 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Release order for one of the two people rearrested for illicit association. The National Civil Police and the Attorney General\u2019s Office created a \u201cnew case\u201d for the same crime. Photo courtesy of the family of one of the detainees.\" \/\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 Release order for one of the two people rearrested for illicit association. The National Civil Police and the Attorney General\u2019s Office created a \u201cnew case\u201d for the same crime. Photo courtesy of the family of one of the detainees. \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\u003EIn June 2022, three months into the state of exception, El Faro spent several weeks \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202207\/el_salvador\/26253\/Diary-of-a-Public-Defender-Drowning-in-the-State-of-Exception.htm\"\u003Eaccompanying a public defender\u003C\/a\u003E as he performed his duties, on the condition that the source would remain anonymous. These are some of the things he said:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cNot a single one. We haven\u2019t been able to free one person.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cToday I confirmed the frustration of many of my colleagues: that the role of the public defender has become practically decorative. I came ready with\u00a0arraigos\u00a0[documents to argue for bail] but the judge went to every length to discard everything.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cIn the end, we\u2019ve become a justification or illusion that a person received a defense.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEdenilson\u2019s story is similar to that of Miguel, a man who sold wholesale tomatoes at the La Tiendona market in San Salvador and was arrested under the state of exception in April 2023. The difference between Edenilson\u2019s case and Miguel\u2019s is that in the latter, the family of the accused had the money to pay a team of lawyers who were able to petition the courts and navigate the legal bureaucracy, ultimately demonstrating that his rearrest for a \u201cnew\u201d case of illicit association was unjust and illegal.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEl Faro knows Miguel\u2019s full name, address, and the key dates of his court case, but in accordance with an agreement made with a source who provided additional information on his case, details that could identify him have been omitted from this story. After spending six months in Izalco Prison, in October 2023, Miguel was granted a release order. The family delivered the document to the prison in October, but did not obtain his release. They returned in November and early December 2023, but the prison authorities once again refused to release him.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn Dec. 7, 2023, the guards told Miguel that he had been granted release and could go home. He walked toward the main gate of Izalco Prison, but before he reached the front gates, he was rearrested and charged, for a second time, with illicit association \u2014 the same crime for which he had just been granted release.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThis \u201cnew\u201d illicit association charge was adjudicated by a special organized crime court in Santa Ana. Miguel\u2019s family \u2014business owners with financial means\u2014 continued to pay a team of lawyers who filed a motion for a mistrial, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction because the facts of the Santa Ana case were identical to those for which Miguel was facing prosecution in San Salvador. The judge agreed, declaring himself \u201cincompetent\u201d (unqualified to preside) and referring the case to the capital.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMiguel\u2019s case was transferred to an organized crime court in San Salvador, which added the Santa Ana charge onto the first illicit association charge. The new court found no evidence that Miguel was a gang member or gang collaborator. For a second time, the court ordered his conditional release.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWhen Miguel\u2019s family delivered the second release letter to Izalco Prison, the guards said they didn\u2019t know anything about concepts like \u201cincompetence,\u201d \u201cdouble jeopardy,\u201d \u201cconsolidation of cases,\u201d or \u201cconstitutional rights.\u201d The prison authorities insisted that the San Salvador case was different from the Santa Ana case. \u201cThe prison authorities didn\u2019t understand the legal concept of consolidation of cases, or that the two cases were connected,\u201d the source said. \u201cFinally, the court messenger got tired of coming to the prison and called the judge to explain the situation. Then the court sent a second letter, explaining the case to the prison authorities.\u201d This second official communication was delivered to the prison in July 2024. Miguel was finally released after spending nine months illegally detained at the whim of the Bureau of Prisons.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe third case documented by El Faro of someone ordered released and rearrested under the state of exception is that of Mr. M., a 29-year-old manual laborer from a formerly gang-controlled community in the department of La Libertad. Mr. M. was arrested on Apr. 18, 2022. He \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/especiales.elfaro.net\/es\/testimonios\/audios\/26930\/nosotros-mirabamos-personas-que-de-las-golpizas-quedaban-tirados\"\u003Eprovided testimony to El Faro\u003C\/a\u003E on the condition that his name and place of residence be withheld from publication. According to his testimony, Mr. M. was at home when the National Civil Police launched an operation in his neighborhood and, without explanation, he was detained and charged with illicit association. He was sent to Mariona Prison and, after just 20 days, an organized crime court granted his conditional release.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMr. M. was released from Mariona Prison on May 8, 2022. He recounts in his testimony how he held onto the release order like it was a precious treasure: he always carried it with him to prove to the police that he was not a gang member or collaborator.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn April 5, 2023, a public transport motorcycle driver was killed in the community where Mr. M. used to live. Although he was at home at the time of the murder, the police arrested the man as part of the raid on the neighborhood to capture the murder suspect. It has been 15 months since he was arrested and his family still does not know exactly what he is accused of. All they know is that they live in a community that used to be controlled by gangs, and that their family member had a criminal record for a crime for which he was released due to a lack of evidence.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe fear of those on the outside\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EJes\u00fas was once an employee of Aeroman, a company that operates out of the \u00d3scar Arnulfo Romero International Airport. He is a father with one daughter, and was arrested under the state of exception for having a prior criminal record: a conviction for smoking marijuana when he was a young student. In November 2023, an organized crime court granted him release, but for seven months, the Bureau of Prisons refused to comply with the order.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn May 2024, El Faro visited the home of Jes\u00fas\u2019 mother\u2014a rusty tin shack with a battered barbed wire fence, a swamp of soapy water in the front yard, and some ducks waddling around. The mother confirmed that her son had been granted a release order, but as of that month, was still being detained without cause. Jes\u00fas\u2019 mother said that she would not disclose the details of his case because she was afraid of the state of exception. \u201cI have other children and \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202405\/el_salvador\/27429\/In-El-Salvador-Fear-and-Silence-Shroud-the-Dead.htm\"\u003Ewe don\u2019t know what could happen\u003C\/a\u003E,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe mother told El Faro that she would consult with her other children about whether or not to grant an interview. She never got back in touch. On July 30, 2024, El Faro called her to verify whether the Bureau of Prisons had complied with the release order, but she did not answer the call.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAn innocent man imprisoned for two months\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn the night of Sunday, Aug. 3, 2023, a group of soldiers landed on \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202312\/el_salvador\/27173\/Esp%C3%ADritu-Santo-Island-against-the-Sergeant.htm\"\u003Ethe island of Esp\u00edritu Santo, in Jiquilisco Bay\u003C\/a\u003E, and arrested six people, taking them out of their homes one by one. Among the detained was Samuel, a 17-year-old waiter at the only restaurant on the island, and the only minor among the men detained that day. The whole community learned of the arrests before the night was over. But a little more than two months later, on October 25, the man in charge of the operation, Sergeant \u00c1ngel C\u00e9sar Montesinos Flores, stated that the arrests had happened in a different way: they had taken place on the morning of Monday, August 4, and the subjects had been detained at a basketball court as they were preparing to deliver supplies to a group of alleged gang members hiding in the surrounding mangroves. Based on the sergeant\u2019s testimony, a juvenile court in Usulut\u00e1n sentenced Samuel to ten years in prison.\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=38849 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Antonio Mel\u00e9ndez, 58, cries before entering Ilopango Prison. Antonio was hoping to see his family before being taken away, but due to a lack of information on detainees, his family was unable to locate him. Photo Carlos Barrera\" \/\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 Antonio Mel\u00e9ndez, 58, cries before entering Ilopango Prison. Antonio was hoping to see his family before being taken away, but due to a lack of information on detainees, his family was unable to locate him. Photo Carlos Barrera \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 dir=\"ltr\"\u003ESamuel\u2019s family appealed the court\u2019s decision, alleging that Sergeant Montesinos had provided false testimony. On December 13, the Eastern District Juvenile Court determined that the military had not provided any evidence to support the sergeant\u2019s version of events and that the trial had been marred by other inconsistencies. The court declared Samuel innocent and ordered his \u201cimmediate\u201d release. The next day, Samuel\u2019s mother delivered the document to the Ilobasco prison farm where he was being held, but the guards told her that it was too late in the day. She presented the document to the guards the next day, and was again told no, without any explanation. She presented the order to the guards a third time, but again, they refused to release her son. December and January went by without any authority offering her family an explanation. Samuel was finally released on Feb. 12, 2023, after authorities with the Bureau of Prison had spent two months disobeying the court\u2019s order.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe complaint against Osiris Luna\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn July 22, 2024, SJH filed a complaint with the Attorney General\u2019s Office denouncing the president of the Legislative Assembly, Ernesto Castro, along with the deputies of the Assembly\u2019s Executive Board, for repeatedly voting to renew an indefinite state of exception operating in violation of basic human rights. Lawyers for the organization allege that all detentions must comply with established international standards \u2014 for example, Article 7 of the Rome Statute, to which El Salvador has been a signatory since Nov. 26, 2015. The Rome Statute, adopted in 1998, is the constituent instrument of the International Criminal Court (ICC). When a state signs the statute, a person from that country responsible for crimes against humanity can face prosecution at the ICC, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ESJH alleges that by refusing to comply with the basic requirements of the Rome Statute for the detention of persons, legislative deputies can face prosecution by the ICC because they voted for the 27 extensions to the state of exception and are thus \u201cperpetrators\u201d of crimes against humanity. The SJH\u2019s complaint includes El Salvador\u2019s Minister of Security, Gustavo Villatoro.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe complaint also accuses Vice Minister of Security and Bureau of Prisons Director Osiris Luna of another crime: deprivation of liberty, for his failure to comply with five court orders. The group has also denounced the director of Izalco Prison for the same crimes, accusing him of disobeying a judicial order and arbitrary detention by an authority. One of the cases denounced by SJH is among those described earlier in this story. On Aug. 1, 2024, El Faro visited the northern zone of San Salvador to verify the facts of another of the cases denounced by SJH.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe mother of Marco, a young man detained under the state of exception on June 22, 2023, said that her son had been released in March 2024. Marco was granted a release order in January 2024, but the Bureau of Prisons did not comply with the order until two months later, and only after his case was denounced at an SJH press conference. Although he was ultimately released, Marco\u2019s case is included in the SJH\u2019s complaint against Luna and the director of Izalco Prison.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERegarding the other three cases in which SJH accused prison authorities of violating the law in failing to comply with release orders, El Faro has been unable to contact the families of the victims to verify whether they are still in prison. SJH claims that they continue to be arbitrarily detained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\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=2904&ImageHeight=4000&ImageId=40859 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"One of five release orders that the Bureau of Prisons has failed to comply with, according to Socorro Jur\u00eddico Humanitario (SJH). On July 22, 2024, the human rights organization denounced Osiris Luna to the Attorney General\u2019s Office for the crime of deprivation of liberty. Photo courtesy of SJH\" \/\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 One of five release orders that the Bureau of Prisons has failed to comply with, according to Socorro Jur\u00eddico Humanitario (SJH). On July 22, 2024, the human rights organization denounced Osiris Luna to the Attorney General\u2019s Office for the crime of deprivation of liberty. Photo courtesy of SJH \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 dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEl Faro asked the victims\u2019 rights organization MOVIR how many cases of non-compliance with release orders the organization has documented during the state of exception. On the afternoon of August 2, 2024, Alfredo Mej\u00eda, a member of MOVIR, responded: \u201cWe don\u2019t have an exact number of how many people may have letters of release. I have in my possession five release orders [that the Bureau of Prisons has not complied with].\u201d At the time of publication, El Faro was unable to verify whether any of MOVIR\u2019s cases are the same as the cases in SJH\u2019s complaint to the Attorney General\u2019s Office.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn the morning of July 30, 2024, El Faro called the head of public relations for the judiciary, Yenifer Portillo, to request an interview with the judges presiding over the cases mentioned in this story, or an official statement on the matter from the Judicial Branch. Portillo requested that the inquiry be sent in writing, and provided an official email address. El Faro sent the request to the designated address, but received an automatic response in English: \u201cMessage blocked.\u201d El Faro then sent a written request to Portillo via an instant messaging application, explaining the problem with the e-mail. At time of press, Portillo had not responded.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp style=\"text-align: right;\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003E*Additional reporting from Carlos Barrera and Carlos Mart\u00ednez. Translated by Max Granger\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"}

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