The Executive reaffirmed that it is complying with the reforms that the Legislative Assembly approved last year of the gang proscription law, which mandate the elimination of all the symbols adopted by criminal structures on a national scale.
“Why do we destroy the tombstones of the gang members?” President Nayib Bukele asked on Twitter on Thursday night, adding a video clip of the recent act of launching phase V of the Territorial Control Plan (PCT), explaining that any message alluding to gangs is illegal.
With the modification of the regulations, a third paragraph was added to article 1 to establish that “texts, paintings, designs, drawings, graffiti or any other form of visual expression embodied in public or private property that implicitly or explicitly transmit messages related to the different criminal groups.
As a complement to this reform, the Legislative Assembly also incorporated a new subparagraph to article 345 of the Penal Code, which establishes that people who prepare, participate, facilitate or manufacture texts, paintings, designs, drawings will be punished with 10 to 15 years in prison. , graffiti or any other form of visual expression that refers to criminal groups.
As a result of these reforms, the Government of President Bukele, through institutions such as the General Directorate of Penal Centers, began the removal of the gang symbols in the graves where the remains of the members of these structures lie.
“We are not prohibiting gang members from having a grave. What we are prohibiting is that the tomb says “Mara Salvatrucha” or that it says “Barrio 18”, simply and simply because in El Salvador, since the approval of the gang ban law, these symbols are prohibited”, explained the ruler.
These legal reforms were proposed by the Executive in April last year, one month after the exception regime entered into force, which was added to the Territorial Control Plan (PCT) in order to strengthen the fight against gangs and crime. organized.
Said legal modifications, as well as the approval of the state of emergency, were achieved thanks to the votes of the deputies of Nuevas Ideas, the party that has the qualified majority (56 of 84 votes) in the Legislative Assembly, and allies.
“You cannot have gang symbols anywhere, neither in the house, nor on the body, nor in the grave,” reiterated the president, who has broad support from the population for the security policies he promotes.
