The deputies of the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly approved on Wednesday night the ninth extension of the emergency regime, which was decreed on March 27.
The measure was approved with the votes in favor of 67 legislators, while there were six votes against and nine abstentions, according to the newspaper ‘La Prensa Grafica’.
It also includes two proposed reforms to the law against the crime of extortion that would allow the prosecution of relatives of gang members and companies that allegedly pay extortion.
The president of the Chamber, Ernesto Castro, has assured that the regime will be extended «as many times as necessary» to deal with gangs, a regime under which more than 60,000 citizens have been detained, according to official balances.
This policy has been criticized by human rights organizations and international bodies such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
