Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has enacted legal reforms allowing life imprisonment for individuals as young as 12 convicted of serious crimes. The changes, published in the country’s official gazette, apply to homicide, terrorism, rape, and related offenses including femicide and gang membership.
The reforms also encompass those convicted of being an accomplice to these crimes. These measures were signed into law as constitutional changes.
The new sentencing measure is being implemented during a four-year-long state of emergency overseen by President Bukele, focused on combating crime within the country.