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        {"code":"27799","sect":"El Salvador","sect_slug":"el-salvador","hits":"940","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202505\/el_salvador\/27799","link_edit":"","name":"For Sale in Bukele\u2019s Prisons: Calls, Letters, Conjugal Visits","slug":"for-sale-in-bukele-rsquo-s-prisons-calls-letters-conjugal-visits","info":"In El Salvador, where family visits to prison have been suspended under the state of exception, a prison guard corruption scheme has emerged: El Faro documented seven cases of relatives of detainees who paid to enter prisons, send letters, or for healthy inmates to be admitted to a private hospital.","mtag":"Corruption","noun":{"html":"Efren Lemus, Gabriela C\u00e1ceres, and Sergio Arauz","data":{"efren-lemus-gabriela-caceres-and-sergio-arauz":{"sort":"","slug":"efren-lemus-gabriela-caceres-and-sergio-arauz","path":"efren_lemus_gabriela_caceres_and_sergio_arauz","name":"Efren Lemus, Gabriela C\u00e1ceres, and Sergio Arauz"}}},"view":"940","pict":{"cms-image-000041802-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41802","name":"cms-image-000041802.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041802.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041802.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041802-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Letter sent by Mary\u2019s husband from the Quezaltepeque Prison via a guard. Mary admits that they exchanged four letters. The family paid a total of $1,200. Photo Carlos Barrera&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ELetter sent by Mary\u2019s husband from the Quezaltepeque Prison via a guard. Mary admits that they exchanged four letters. The family paid a total of $1,200. Photo Carlos Barrera\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041804-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41804","name":"cms-image-000041804.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041804.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041804.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041804-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Dozens of testimonies collected by this newspaper and by human rights organizations point to the security staff of Salvadoran prisons as the main torturers under the state of exception. In Mariona, the name repeated by those who leave is Monta\u00f1a, described as a ruthless man whose mere presence instills panic in the halls of the prison. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EDozens of testimonies collected by this newspaper and by human rights organizations point to the security staff of Salvadoran prisons as the main torturers under the state of exception. In Mariona, the name repeated by those who leave is Monta\u00f1a, described as a ruthless man whose mere presence instills panic in the halls of the prison. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041805-jpeg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41805","name":"cms-image-000041805.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041805.jpeg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041805.jpeg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041805-jpeg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Women seek information about their detained relatives in front of Mariona Prison amid mass arrests and the lack of information about cases. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EWomen seek information about their detained relatives in front of Mariona Prison amid mass arrests and the lack of information about cases. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041806-jpeg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41806","name":"cms-image-000041806.jpeg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041806.jpeg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041806.jpeg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041806-jpeg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Women used to approach the new cell block of Mariona Prison to try to communicate with their incarcerated relatives, scanning windows where the detainees were known to stick their heads out. Prison Bureau brass ordered the windows to be closed with sheet metal and a welding seal. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EWomen used to approach the new cell block of Mariona Prison to try to communicate with their incarcerated relatives, scanning windows where the detainees were known to stick their heads out. Prison Bureau brass ordered the windows to be closed with sheet metal and a welding seal. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041807-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41807","name":"cms-image-000041807.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041807.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041807.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041807-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;A conversation on WhatsApp between an intermediary and the family of a detainee at Mariona discussing different visitation packages. Photo courtesy of UNIDEHC&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EA conversation on WhatsApp between an intermediary and the family of a detainee at Mariona discussing different visitation packages. Photo courtesy of UNIDEHC\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041808-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41808","name":"cms-image-000041808.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041808.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041808.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041808-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;In July 2022, a social worker at Cutumay Camones called Fidel Zavala\u2019s family to ask for a donation of office supplies. These are some of the items on which the family spent $450 for a 20-minute visit. Photo courtesy of UNIDEHC&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EIn July 2022, a social worker at Cutumay Camones called Fidel Zavala\u2019s family to ask for a donation of office supplies. These are some of the items on which the family spent $450 for a 20-minute visit. Photo courtesy of UNIDEHC\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041809-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"41809","name":"cms-image-000041809.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041809.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041809.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041809-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;In September 2022, a truck prepares to carry a group of arrested men to Ilopango Prison as family members say goodbye. In El Salvador, incarcerated people are held officially incommunicado with their relatives, though corruption networks have emerged trafficking access to detained individuals. Photo Carlos Barrera&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EIn September 2022, a truck prepares to carry a group of arrested men to Ilopango Prison as family members say goodbye. In El Salvador, incarcerated people are held officially incommunicado with their relatives, though corruption networks have emerged trafficking access to detained individuals. Photo Carlos Barrera\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000041810-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"41810","name":"cms-image-000041810.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041810.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000041810.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000041810-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;In May 2022, crowds swell outside Izalco Prison as desperate relatives search for information on their loved ones arrested under the state of exception, by then in its second month. Many traveled all day to western El Salvador and had to find a place to sleep outside to continue their search the next day. Photo Carlos Barrera&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EIn May 2022, crowds swell outside Izalco Prison as desperate relatives search for information on their loved ones arrested under the state of exception, by then in its second month. Many traveled all day to western El Salvador and had to find a place to sleep outside to continue their search the next day. Photo Carlos Barrera\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":41810,"date":{"live":"2025\/04\/01"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2025","data_post_dateLive_MM":"04","data_post_dateLive_DD":"01","text":"\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-707e1ac8-7fff-3e0e-6e4b-76e997881591\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202503\/el_salvador\/27781\/abogados-y-empleados-publicos-venden-visitas-cartas-y-llamadas-a-las-carceles-de-bukele\"\u003ELeer en espa\u00f1ol\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn April 2022, a woman received a WhatsApp message explaining the terms to visit a relative detained in Mariona Prison: \u201cBe discreet. Don't comment on social media or to anyone because we\u2019re putting ourselves at risk.\u201d Next, she was told that the rates range from $150 to $500, for 25 minutes or for an hour-long conjugal visit. \u201cThis is how we can help,\u201d they wrote. This is one of seven cases of prison corruption that El Faro has documented, including the payment for visitation of hundreds of dollars and the bartering of construction materials or office goods; and, for thousands of dollars, the admission to a private hospital of inmates who are not ill.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEl Faro received the testimony and evidence of two businesswomen: Rosa, whose family paid $9,000 to visit two sons detained in Mariona six times at the end of 2022; and Mary, who paid $1,200 to exchange four letters with her husband from Quezaltepeque Prison between August and October 2023. The two women asked not to reveal their full names for fear of being captured under the state of exception, and of reprisals from involved officials. This newspaper also interviewed an inmate from Mariona who paid more than $30,000 to be admitted to a private hospital, even though he did not suffer from any illness. The interview was conducted while he was in hospital, before he returned to prison.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFour other cases of prison corruption were documented with information provided by the Unit for the Defense of Community and Human Rights in El Salvador, or UNIDEHC, an organization that advises victims of human rights violations and has evidence of \u201cdonations\u201d to Cutumay Camones Prison, in Santa Ana, in exchange for visits.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn the cases documented by El Faro, corruption networks embedded in the prison system pocketed $48,620 dollars.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThis scheme compounds a gaping economic reality for affected families: Mass arrests in three years have slammed the poorest in El Salvador, where \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/diario.elmundo.sv\/economia\/el-salvador-con-cerca-del-70-de-empleo-informal-una-de-las-tasas-mas-altas-de-america-latina#:~:text=Los%20trabajadores%20informales%20generan%20cerca%20del%2021.4,seg%C3%BAn%20el%20estudio%2C%20por%20una%20mayor%20productividad.\"\u003Eseven out of ten adults\u003C\/a\u003E work in the informal economy and families subsist on dollars a day \u2014 some below minimum wage, which \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/especiales.elfaro.net\/en\/hunger\/\"\u003Eranges from $150 to $365 a month\u003C\/a\u003E. The mass detentions also led to the ballooning of a \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202207\/ef_photo\/26254\/Business-and-Misery-Outside-El-Salvador\"\u003Ecottage industry outside prison gates\u003C\/a\u003E of care packets with food, clothing, and hygiene products that, combined with travel, food, and other delivery expenses, can cost up to $200.\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=4000&ImageHeight=2667&ImageId=41809 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"In September 2022, a truck prepares to carry a group of arrested men to Ilopango Prison as family members say goodbye. In El Salvador, incarcerated people are held officially incommunicado with their relatives, though corruption networks have emerged trafficking access to detained individuals. 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 In September 2022, a truck prepares to carry a group of arrested men to Ilopango Prison as family members say goodbye. In El Salvador, incarcerated people are held officially incommunicado with their relatives, though corruption networks have emerged trafficking access to detained individuals. 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\"\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=41806 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Women used to approach the new cell block of Mariona Prison to try to communicate with their incarcerated relatives, scanning windows where the detainees were known to stick their heads out. Prison Bureau brass ordered the windows to be closed with sheet metal and a welding seal. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\" \/\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 used to approach the new cell block of Mariona Prison to try to communicate with their incarcerated relatives, scanning windows where the detainees were known to stick their heads out. Prison Bureau brass ordered the windows to be closed with sheet metal and a welding seal. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a \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\"\u003EThe corruption network takes advantage of the desperation of family members who have no other legal way of visiting their relatives. \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/especiales.elfaro.net\/en\/hunger\/stories\/27196\/so-those-in-prison-can-eat\"\u003EThese families often cut back meals\u003C\/a\u003E in an effort to meet their relatives\u2019 basic needs in prison. In some cases, before visiting, they did not even know if they were alive or if they were receiving the care packages. What happens in the regime\u2019s prisons is so clandestine that there is no public information, not even on the distribution of inmates. All requests for information are rejected.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWhat little is gleaned \u2014testimonies \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202305\/el_salvador\/26841\/salvadoran-schoolteacher-denounces-systematic-torture-in-prison\"\u003Edenouncing torture and death inside the prisons\u003C\/a\u003E\u2014 is owed to the choice few who are released and tell what they saw.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn March 24, El Faro called the director of communications at the Prison Bureau and asked him in writing, via an electronic messaging application, for an official interview to talk about the irregular prison visitations, but received no response. In the last three years, silence has been the government\u2019s strategy in the face of corruption allegations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETop-down prison corruption\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThree weeks after Bukele took office in his first term in June 2019, he ordered via Twitter that the directors of all prisons should suspend visits to inmates indefinitely, due to the increase in homicides. El Faro \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/201907\/el_salvador\/23465\/las-medidas-carcelarias-del-gobierno-no-son-como-se-cuenta-en-twitter.htm\"\u003Enoted at the time\u003C\/a\u003E that at least four prison surveillance judges did not endorse this measure. However, with the arrival of Covid-19, \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202004\/el_salvador\/24340\/Bukele-defiende-que-polic%C3%ADas-usen-%E2%80%9Cfuerza-letal%E2%80%9D-para-contrarrestar-el-aumento-de-homicidios.htm\"\u003Evisits were suspended\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBefore the state of exception, which was instated in late March 2022, El Salvador\u2019s 22 prisons had a capacity for 27,000 inmates but registered 37,000. By March 2024, the imprisoned population had risen to approximately 109,000, according to the World Prisons Brief (WPB). This positioned El Salvador as the country with the highest incarceration rate in the world, with \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202502\/el_salvador\/27734\/Offering-US-His-Torture-Prisons-Bukele-Wants-MS-13-Leaders-Back.htm\"\u003E1,659 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EUnder the state of exception, which has suspended fundamental constitutional and procedural rights, more than 87,000 people have been detained. The monitor Socorro Jur\u00eddico Humanitario (SJH) has documented 375 deaths inside prisons. The Attorney General\u2019s Office closed 142 of these cases and has not ruled on the rest.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EPrison corruption reaches the top brass, according to official investigations. Prosecutors discovered in 2023, through wiretaps, that Prison Bureau employees \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202307\/el_salvador\/26917\/Salvadoran-Prosecutors-Accuse-Top-Prison-Bureau-Aide-of-Selling-Benefits-to-Narcos.htm\"\u003Efacilitated the transfer of two defendants\u003C\/a\u003E accused of drug trafficking from Mariona to the Baptist Hospital, despite the fact that they did not register any ailments. Previous investigations pointed to Director of Prisons Osiris Luna and his mother in a scheme to syphon \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202109\/el_salvador\/25736\/Top-Bukele-Official-Embezzled-$16-Million-in-Covid-19-Emergency-Food-Supplies.htm\"\u003Epandemic-relief food for needy families\u003C\/a\u003E. Prosecutors also concluded that Luna spent $278,000 on phantom job posts and that \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202211\/el_salvador\/26474\/El-Salvador-Police-Profiled-Vice-Minister-Osiris-Luna-as-Drug-Trade-Operative.htm\"\u003Eten supervisors were paid excessive salaries\u003C\/a\u003E in exchange for giving Luna money.\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=4000&ImageHeight=2667&ImageId=41810 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"In May 2022, crowds swell outside Izalco Prison as desperate relatives search for information on their loved ones arrested under the state of exception, by then in its second month. Many traveled all day to western El Salvador and had to find a place to sleep outside to continue their search the next day. 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 In May 2022, crowds swell outside Izalco Prison as desperate relatives search for information on their loved ones arrested under the state of exception, by then in its second month. Many traveled all day to western El Salvador and had to find a place to sleep outside to continue their search the next day. 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\"\u003EUnder Luna\u2019s tenure, Salvadoran prisons were the scene of the Bukele administration\u2019s \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202108\/el_salvador\/25670\/Criminal-Investigation-Found-the-Bukele-Administration-Hid-Evidence-of-Negotiations-with-Gangs.htm\"\u003Ecovert gang negotiations\u003C\/a\u003E. In July 2021, the U.S. State Department \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202107\/centroamerica\/25586\/State-Department-Accuses-Four-Senior-Bukele-Officials-of-Corruption.htm\"\u003Erevoked his visa in its \u201cEngel List\u201d sanctions\u003C\/a\u003E. Then, in December of the same year, \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202112\/centroamerica\/25893\/Treasury-Dept-Salvadoran-Government-Pacted-with-MS-13.htm\"\u003Ethe Treasury Department applied the Magnitsky Act\u003C\/a\u003E to Luna, blocking all assets and property he may have had in the United States and prohibiting U.S. persons or companies from any transactions with him. In November 2021, an MS-13 leader, \u00c9lmer Canales, alias \u201cCrook\u201d, who was detained in 2023 in Mexico and extradited to the United States, was also \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202210\/el_salvador\/26446\/Police-Documents-Prove-Illegal-Release-of-MS-13-Leader-in-El-Salvador.htm\"\u003Esecretly and illegally released from prison\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA web of intermediaries\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn mid-2023, an inmate admitted to Baptist Hospital in San Salvador told El Faro that he paid more than $30,000 to go out for four days and four nights to see his family and to review his defense strategy with his lawyers, since to date he still has not been sentenced. El Faro recorded an hour-long interview with the prisoner, photographed him, and obtained a copy of his release letter issued by Ricardo Salguero Ventura, the former warden of Mariona. The private hospital parking lot was guarded by two officers with logos of the Bureau of Prisons.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe prisoner is a well-known figure in the country's political life and asked, to avoid reprisals from the prison, that no details be published of the date and the exact amounts he paid for his admission to the hospital. \u201cIf you find out that I have died, publish everything, even the audio and all the names,\u201d said the source. \u201cI don't need surgery, this [paying to be admitted] is more to see my family and my lawyers. They [the guards and prison authorities] suffocate you, they deny you visits... It even seems like they do a socioeconomic study on you,\u201d he said, referring to the suspicion that the amounts of money needed to leave or receive visits or calls depend on the profile that the guards make of those incarcerated in their facilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe cases documented by El Faro depict a network that operates via intermediaries: either private lawyers or former prisoners who have contact with guards, allowing them to approach higher-ranking prison authorities. This makes possible the visitation and exchange of information. Other victims of the scheme receive a phone number from an intermediary who works in the shops selling care packages outside prison, or through other relatives of detainees.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAmong the cases documented by UNIDEHC, the family of businessman Fidel Antonio Zavala P\u00e9rez bought $450 worth of commonplace office supplies and skin creams and gifted them to Cutumay Camones Prison authorities, according to Ivania Cruz, a lawyer for UNIDEHC. This forced barter allowed Zavala\u2019s mother to visit her son for 20 minutes in Cutumay Camones around July 2022, while Zavala was detained on charges of fraud that were later dismissed.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAccording to Cruz, Cutumay Camones officials proposed that Zavala address a letter to prison technical staff offering a donation. Next, a woman calling herself a social worker called his family to state that their son had requested a donation. The Zavala family photographed the boxes they took to prison. \u201cWhen [the mother] delivered them, she said: I won\u2019t hand anything over unless you let me see my son. Her insistence meant that she was able to speak to Fidel,\u201d Cruz explained. Shortly after Zavala\u2019s release, he denounced the donation as \u201cgovernment extortion.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cFidel\u2019s case is a somewhat small amount, but we at UNIDEHC have documented other cases of how they operate. The warden is aware of these donations, because there are cameras and the access of these people is recorded,\u201d Cruz added.\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=4000&ImageHeight=2666&ImageId=41808 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"In July 2022, a social worker at Cutumay Camones called Fidel Zavala\u2019s family to ask for a donation of office supplies. These are some of the items on which the family spent $450 for a 20-minute visit. Photo courtesy of UNIDEHC\" \/\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 July 2022, a social worker at Cutumay Camones called Fidel Zavala\u2019s family to ask for a donation of office supplies. These are some of the items on which the family spent $450 for a 20-minute visit. Photo courtesy of UNIDEHC \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\"\u003EWhile in prison for 13 months, Zavala says he witnessed first-hand beatings and, as an assistant to guards during head counts, \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202408\/ef_tv\/27529\/%E2%80%9CI-had-to-write-down-the-name-of-those-who-left-in-black-bags%E2%80%9D.htm\"\u003Ekept track of those who died in custody\u003C\/a\u003E. After his conditional release in mid-2024, Zavala became a human rights activist and spokesperson for UNIDEHC, which represented him in his fraud case and obtained his release. He filed a criminal suit against Director of Prisons Luna and warden of Cutumay Camones for bribery \u2014citing the office supplies and creams as \u201cblackmail\u201d for visitation\u2014 as well as torture, coercion, arbitrary acts, and breach of duty. \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202502\/ef_audio\/27760\/podcast-salvadoran-police-re-arrest-activist-who-sued-director-of-prisons-for-torture\"\u003EHe was re-arrested in February\u003C\/a\u003E. His mother filed for habeas corpus on March 27, citing fear for his life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe cases of prison corruption and other complex UNIDEHC investigations involving the ruling party, such as \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202409\/el_salvador\/27555\/Murky-Arrest-and-Bad-Weather-Surround-Death-of-El-Salvador%E2%80%99s-Top-Cops.htm\"\u003Ethe bankruptcy of the credit cooperative Cosavi\u003C\/a\u003E, formerly run by a party financier, have been left in limbo since prosecutors raided the organization\u2019s offices on Feb. 25, 2025 and the homes of lawyers Rudy Joya and Ivania Cruz were raided while they were in Spain to speak about human rights violations under the state of exception. Zavala was arrested at their headquarters. Prosecutors \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202502\/ef_audio\/27760\/podcast-salvadoran-police-re-arrest-activist-who-sued-director-of-prisons-for-torture\"\u003Eaccuse them of alleged irregular land sales\u003C\/a\u003E at the La Floresta estate in San Juan Opico, where they were advising poor families fighting off eviction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ECruz believes La Floresta was a pretext to seize information about their investigations: \u201cFor me, the La Floresta case is about criminalizing community leaders. With Fidel it\u2019s political revenge, because he tested the system and exposed them through his accusation. We are one of the few organizations that dared to directly denounce Bukele's officials,\u201d she says. The documents were not seized because they were kept elsewhere.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENow, Zavala\u2019s lawyers are asking the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to grant him precautionary measures as a witness and victim of torture and corruption. \u201cHe did something that no one had ever done: He challenged the system when he proposed a confrontation to identify the guards. These characteristics make Fidel\u2019s capture very different from all the others, and put his life at high risk,\u201d says Cruz.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAnother of the \u201cdonations\u201d documented by UNIDEHC occurred in late 2022. The relatives of three former councillors of the Zacatecoluca Municipal Council got a call from Cutumay Camones. The men had been detained in April 2021, one year before the state of exception, and had since not communicated with their families while awaiting trial for alleged public contracting irregularities. Prison officials offered a one-hour visit in exchange for materials to build a prison cell. The officials claimed that the councillors had requested the goods, valued at $1,500, without taking into account the cost to rent a truck to transport the materials. When one councillor\u2019s wife asked for proof, she received a photo of a note with her husband\u2019s signature.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EUNIDEHC did not file a criminal complaint because the relatives were afraid of the prison officials, especially given that their relatives were still detained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe going rates at Mariona\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBusinesswoman Rosa, whose full name is withheld at her request to avoid government reprisals, says that desperation to see her two sons in Mariona Prison, seven months into the state of exception, led her to place her trust in a lawyer promising access, who identified herself as Maritza Beatriz Ayala Larrama. Rosa does not fully understand how the judicial process works, nor does she know the names of the courts or have copies of related documents. Her formal education ended in fourth grade, having learned to read and write. She spent years as a street vendor until she got a formal job as a merchant.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERosa\u2019s two sons and husband were captured between August and October 2022, accused of illicit association under state-of-exception rules. Whereas the sons remain in Mariona, the husband is held in Izalco Prison in Sonsonate. El Faro confirmed that none of them have a criminal record for gang-related activities.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EOn a Wednesday in October 2022, at 11:00 in the morning, Rosa arrived at the main gate of Mariona. She knocked and a guard looked out of a small window. Rosa told him she had come to visit her children. After waiting half an hour, they let her in. She walked up a small slope to the checkpoint, where another officer checked the names of the detainees. No one asked any questions. \u201cThey already knew what they were going to do,\u201d Rosa said. Two officers directed her to the \u201cvisitors\u2019 room,\u201d which she remembers painted white, where another man was visiting an inmate. A guard stood watching the two other men sitting on white plastic chairs around a table. There were no panels or bars to prevent physical contact. Rosa settled into an empty chair and saw a nearby auto repair shop.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EA guard then appeared with her children, handcuffed and dressed in white shirts and shorts. \u201cWe hugged and talked a little. They told me they were fine,\u201d Rosa said. After an hour, the guard told her the visit was over. That was the last time Rosa saw her children. Her daughters-in-law, on the other hand, visited them five more times. Rosa has no videos, photos, or recordings of that visit, as she was forbidden to bring a cell phone.\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=3000&ImageHeight=2000&ImageId=41805 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Women seek information about their detained relatives in front of Mariona Prison amid mass arrests and the lack of information about cases. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\" \/\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 seek information about their detained relatives in front of Mariona Prison amid mass arrests and the lack of information about cases. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a \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 reviewed a series of photographs taken in different sectors of Mariona, in early March 2025, and spoke off-the-record with a source who regularly enters the prison, but asked for anonymity as he could lose his job. The photos and testimony reinforce Rosa\u2019s account. The source explained that the gate through which she entered is the same one used by the relatives of the inmates to leave food packages, as well as the entrance to ward seven. In the photographs is the \u201cvisitors\u2019 room\u201d in question, a small sign announcing \u201cwaiting room\u201d. In another image is the repair shop which, per the source, repairs government vehicles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERosa paid $10,000 for her relatives\u2019 defense. She says the lawyer Ayala asked her for another $9,000 for six visits. She met Ayala in a restaurant in February 2023 to demand a refund for the failed defense, as there had been no result. The lawyer refused, saying she had done her job.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERosa claims that the woman who identified herself as Ayala\u2019s intermediary, \u00c1ngela Nohemy Bardi, was the one who collected the money. El Faro obtained a video from November 2022 of Bardi in a building owned by Rosa, counting banknotes corresponding to a second payment of more than $5,000, for the defense of her husband and children. By then, Rosa claims that she had already paid Bardi $6,000 for four visits to Mariona. In October 2024, prosecutors reported the \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/diario.elmundo.sv\/nacionales\/detienen-a-dos-notarios-por-fabricar-documentos-falsos-para-vender-inmuebles-valorados-en-400000\"\u003Earrest of ten people involved in real estate fraud\u003C\/a\u003E. Bardi was among those arrested.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERosa sent Ayala a WhatsApp message, but it was not received. She also tried to file a complaint, but a lawyer advised her not to. \u201cThe lawyer told me that if I did anything that woman could have me imprisoned because she has contacts,\u201d the woman explained. El Faro tried to contact the lawyer Ayala through the telephone number that Rosa provided, but the calls were diverted to voicemail, and the WhatsApp messages were not delivered. Reporters also tried to contact her through two other cell numbers, one of which did not have WhatsApp. Her office was called three times, but no one answered.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERosa\u2019s children and husband are still in prison. She does not even know if they are alive. The family has decided not to resort to private defenders for fear of being scammed. Two months ago, they sought out the lawyers of the Public Defender\u2019s Office (PGR), but the process is slow. Rosa explained that, in early March, they had the first meeting to locate the files. Then, in order to find out about her husband\u2019s state of health, she was sent to the Human Rights Ombudsman, which in turn referred them to the Institute of Legal Medicine, or coroner, to verify whether he was still alive. \u201cWe are waiting for answers,\u201d she says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EToning down the charges\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ERosa is not the only one who paid $1,500 for a visit to Mariona. The wife of a moneylender captured on Sep. 3, 2022, in a municipality south of San Salvador, paid the same amount to visit her relative. This amount included the payment of an administrative procedure to minimize the detainee\u2019s alleged links with the Mara Salvatrucha-13 in Mariona\u2019s internal records.\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=4000&ImageHeight=2669&ImageId=41804 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Dozens of testimonies collected by this newspaper and by human rights organizations point to the security staff of Salvadoran prisons as the main torturers under the state of exception. In Mariona, the name repeated by those who leave is Monta\u00f1a, described as a ruthless man whose mere presence instills panic in the halls of the prison. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a\" \/\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 testimonies collected by this newspaper and by human rights organizations point to the security staff of Salvadoran prisons as the main torturers under the state of exception. In Mariona, the name repeated by those who leave is Monta\u00f1a, described as a ruthless man whose mere presence instills panic in the halls of the prison. Photo V\u00edctor Pe\u00f1a \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\"\u003EOfficially, the police captured the man for managing the gang\u2019s extortion money, although they have not presented any evidence, El Faro found. The detainee is labeled as a \u201ccollaborator.\u201d The prison system uses police information (reasons for arrest, criminal record, tattoos, among others) to classify prisoners. The lender\u2019s wife was offered a series of \u201cpackages\u201d over the phone to improve the situation of her relative detained in the prison.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cHer testimony was the most complicated and most expensive case I heard about,\u201d says Cruz of UNIDEHC. \u201cThey told her: \u2018If you pay $1,000 you will only be able to see him, but if you pay $1,500 I will take him out of a system that we have inside the prison, where we have them by category. I'm going to take him from the middle category to the lower category.\u2019 If she paid $5,000 they could help her more, because they had connections with detectives so that in the court file they wouldn't complicate things too much for her.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EShe paid $1,500, but was not given the promised visiting time. When she complained about the breach of the agreement, she was granted a second visit free of charge. El Faro has two audio recordings in which she talks about entering Mariona, which happened in early 2023.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cThank God everything is fine. I was even able to stay longer because they (the guards) forgot to calculate the time. Everything was quite calm,\u201d she says in one recording. \u201cAs far as he is concerned, the first visit I made did him some good. Already today his face was completely different. He was another person.\u201d She also mentions the lack of medical attention for her husband's fainting spells. In the next, the lender\u2019s wife comments that the person who facilitated her entry to Mariona had modified records to minimize the detainee\u2019s alleged gang ties. \u201cThe guy who was passing me information told me he had fulfilled his end of the deal, that he had helped me by disassociating him,\u201d she says in the second audio.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn addition, UNIDEHC has documented the \u201crates\u201d for visits to Mariona by means of screenshots of WhatsApp conversations. The sister of an arrested bricklayer and mother of another detainee in Mariona obtained the number of a person who offers visits over the phone in exchange for money. El Faro has a copy of the screenshots of one of these conversations. They never knew who was in charge of responding to the messages, as they only identified him as a \u201ccontact\u201d.\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=4000&ImageHeight=2666&ImageId=41807 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"A conversation on WhatsApp between an intermediary and the family of a detainee at Mariona discussing different visitation packages. Photo courtesy of UNIDEHC\" \/\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 A conversation on WhatsApp between an intermediary and the family of a detainee at Mariona discussing different visitation packages. Photo courtesy of UNIDEHC \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\"\u003E\u201cPlease explain the process to me. And how much does it cost?\u201c wrote the mother of one of the detainees in Mariona. \u201cBe discreet,\u201d came the reply. \u201cDon't comment on social media or to anyone because we\u2019re putting ourselves at risk. For appointments you pay from Monday to Wednesday, and in three days we\u2019ll let you know the date and time you can come.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe contact in Mariona offered four packages: $150 for a 25-minute visit; $250 for 45 minutes; $350 for an hour; and $500 for a conjugal visit. Payments could be made to a designated name through Western Union at a pharmacy. She must also send the names of her husband and visitor. Neither who received the offer paid for the visit; they did not have the money.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u201cNobody will do anything for free\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAt the end of April 2022, one month into the state of exception, five policemen took advantage of the fact that the white metal gate of Mary\u2019s house was open, entered without showing a search warrant, and captured a man playing with her eight-year-old daughter in the main room. It was seven o\u2019clock at night. Mary remembers that the officers did not explain the reason for the arrest, saying only that they \u201cwould find out later.\u201d He was taken to the holding cell of a police station in a municipality of La Paz and, the following day, transferred to Izalco Prison on accusations of having links with gangs, something that the family rejects.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EDespite suffering from high blood pressure, he was detained for 44 days in Izalco, a prison that human rights organizations describe as a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/cristosal.org\/ES\/el-silencio-no-es-opcion-informe-completo\/\"\u003Etorture facility lacking medical care\u003C\/a\u003E. Mary\u2019s husband was robbed of two care packages, forced to kneel for hours in the sun, and beaten with batons. His right shoulder was dislocated, an injury for which he received no treatment. All this came to light when he was released at the end of October 2023.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn June 2022, Mary\u2019s husband was transferred to Quezaltepeque Prison. His cellmate\u2019s contacts with guards made it possible for him to communicate with his family. \u201cWhen he was released, he looked for me to ask if I wanted to communicate with my husband. Obviously, I said yes,\u201d says Mary. \u201cAt first I didn\u2019t believe him, but he said to me: \u2018Write a letter and he will reply to it. You have to know his handwriting.\u2019 Maybe about a month later I was able to communicate with him.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EUp until the arrest, Mary and her husband had a small restaurant and a cargo company that subcontracted with the state. The message Mary sent, like her husband\u2019s reply, was written on bond paper. He told her that a guard gave him pen and paper, on the sole condition that he do so discreetly. Between July and October 2022, they exchanged four letters. El Faro has copies of two: one that Mary sent and another that she received. She left packages and he requested bread, sugar, cheese, salt, milk, oatmeal, cereal, cookies, and disposable razors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEvery time Mary met with the intermediary, she gave him fifty dollars and products from her food business. Then, after sending and receiving the four letters, the family paid another $1,000. In total, for the four letters and brief news of the detainee, the family paid $1,200.\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=3201&ImageHeight=4000&ImageId=41802 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Letter sent by Mary\u2019s husband from the Quezaltepeque Prison via a guard. Mary admits that they exchanged four letters. The family paid a total of $1,200. 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 Letter sent by Mary\u2019s husband from the Quezaltepeque Prison via a guard. Mary admits that they exchanged four letters. The family paid a total of $1,200. 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\"\u003EMary\u2019s husband was detained for seven months under the state of exception. At the end of 2022, an anti-organized crime court granted him pre-trial release due to lack of evidence linking him to gangs. Mary\u2019s husband has resumed his small cargo transportation business and is currently continuing to sign in every 15 days because the court has not scheduled a trial date. Mary contacted one of the Izalco guards again because, months after her husband's release, one of her brothers had been arrested for reasons never explained.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cI told the same person who helped us with my husband that maybe he could help me with my brother. We met up,\u201d she explains. \u201cAfter 15 or 22 days, maybe when he came on duty, he called me and told me that the person who thought they could help me said no, because the situation there [Izalco] was very difficult. There are cameras even in the cells.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMary contacted a second guard and they met in a mall on the outskirts of San Salvador. \u201cHe said, \u2018Look, things in Izalco are very difficult for us. If they were to move your brother to Mariona, believe me, I\u2019d even get him on a video call. But you know that nobody will do anything for free.\u2019 That doesn't matter, I said. \u2018Then pray to God that they move him to Mariona.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThey did not discuss the price of the video call. \u201cWhen the time comes,\u201d shrugs Mary, \u201cthey\u2019ll say whatever price they want.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E"}

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