April 7 (UPI) -- Colombian President Gustavo Petro said prisons in El Salvador operate as "concentration camps for the civilian population" and denounced the detention of innocent people under a state of exception implemented by Nayib Bukele's government.
in a message posted Monday on social media platform X, Petro said the mass detentions include citizens with no links to gangs.
"Having innocent people imprisoned is a crime against humanity; these are concentration camps for the civilian population," he wrote.
Tener un 36% de personas presas inocentes, es un crímen contra la humanidad, se trata de campos de concentración de población civil, gente apresada porque tiene un tatuaje o es jóven, así no se disminuye una tasa de homicidios porque estás matando en vida a miles de jóvenes... https://t.co/LnJmjodUsq— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 6, 2026
He said people are being detained "because they have a tattoo or are young" and that this policy "is killing in life thousands of innocent young prisoners and their families."
