 Aerial view of the prison | |
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| Location | Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 13°31′58.76″N 88°48′14.40″W / 13.5329889°N 88.8040000°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum security |
| Capacity | 40,000 |
| Population | 14,532 (as of 11 June 2024) |
| Opened | 31 January 2023 |
| Managed by | Ministry of Justice and Public Security |
| Director | Belarmino García[1] |
The Terrorism Confinement Center (Spanish: Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, abbreviated and commonly referred to as CECOT) is a maximum security prison located in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The prison was built in late 2022 amidst a large-scale gang crackdown in El Salvador and was opened by the Salvadoran government in January 2023.
CECOT received its first 2,000 prisoners in February 2023, and as of 11 June 2024[update], it has a population of 14,532 inmates.[2] With capacity for 40,000 inmates, CECOT is the largest prison in Latin America and one of the largest in the world by prisoner capacity. CECOT–as well as the gang crackdown as a whole–have been the subject of international media attention, receiving praise for the Salvadoran government as well as criticism of alleged human rights violations.
- ^ Valencia, Roberto (29 December 2023). "La Cena de Navidad en la Megacárcel de Bukele" [Christmas Dinner in Bukele's Megaprison]. BBC Mundo (in Spanish). Tecoluca, El Salvador. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
- ^ Bernal, David (11 June 2024). "Trasladan 2,000 Privados de Libertad al CECOT, el Megapenal de El Salvador que ya Llegó a la Cifra de 14,532 Reclusos" [They Transfer 2,000 Deprived of Liberty to CECOT, El Salvador's Megaprison Which Already Holds 14,532 Recluse]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 June 2024.