El Salvador to apply life sentences to minors for serious crimes

[highplainsdem]

Source: Reuters

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has enacted legal reforms allowing ​life imprisonment for minors as young ‌as 12 convicted of homicide, terrorism, or rape, according to the country's official gazette.

The measures, published ​on Tuesday and scheduled to take ​effect April 26, follow a constitutional amendment ⁠approved in March by the government-controlled Congress.

-snip-

The constitutional amendment came days after an ​international legal panel reported "reasonable grounds" to suggest El Salvador ‌has ⁠committed crimes against humanity during a years-long state of emergency.

-snip-

The ​44-year-old president's ongoing state of emergency, ​which ⁠suspends various constitutional guarantees, has led to the detention of more than 90,000 people. ⁠Humanitarian ​organizations estimate at least 500 ​of those detainees have died in state custody.

-snip-


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-apply-life-sentences-minors-serious-crimes-2026-04-15/

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Bukele is a monster. So of course both Trump and Musk support him (Musk will be helping with AI indoctrination of schoolkids - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143580868 ).

[SheltieLover]

1. Omg!

[highplainsdem]

2. My reaction, too. Especially because of those El Salvador prisons.

[SheltieLover]

4. Yes!

I had no idea El Salvadore was so ruthless until all this blew up about prisons. 2nd only to ruskies imo.

[Polybius]

3. It's nothing that we don't do here

The US can try a child as young as 10 as an adult.

[SheltieLover]

5. I suppose, but that's really rare, isn't it?

[Polybius]

6. For the most part

But 10 year olds killing people is also pretty rare, thankfully. Usually though, it's 14 or 15 being tried as an adult for particularly heinous crimes. I'm ok with that, btw.

[SheltieLover]

7. Yeah. I'm ok with that, too.

Their personalities are formed & habits in place, sadly for them & the victims.

[popsdenver]

8. Republicans would love that here

Then Trump could pardon them, and force he and his Republican "friends" to be shown a certain type of gratitude for years.....

BTW......does anyone know what happened to those hundreds and hundreds of Caged Mexican children during Trump's first term of terror........????????? You can be sure none of his Racist MAGAot Voters would have adopted them...that's for sure.....
unless Trump sold them to those who wanted child slaves to clean their homes.......