Venezuelans deported by US detail fresh claims of torture and abuse at El Salvador mega-prison

Source: The Guardian

Venezuelans deported by US detail fresh claims of torture and abuse at El Salvador mega-prison

Petition seeks accountability from Salvadorian authorities over human rights violations at notorious Cecot facility

Maanvi Singh
Thu 26 Mar 2026 22.16 GMT
First published on Thu 26 Mar 2026 21.14 GMT

A group of 18 Venezuelan men whom the US expelled a notorious Salvadorian mega-prison are demanding that Salvadorian authorities be held internationally accountable for violation of human rights – detailing new allegations of torture, sexual assault and medical neglect.

A new petition, filed on Thursday before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleges that El Salvador violated the human rights of these men, who were expelled to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) last year without charge.

Human rights groups filed the petition on behalf of the 18 men, who were among 288 Venezuelans and Salvadorians that the US transferred to Cecot in March 2025. The detainees detail a “pattern of abuse, including beatings, humiliation, and sexual assault” while they were incarcerated.

“One year later, these men are still waiting for justice,” said Bella Mosselmans, co-counsel on the petition and Director of the Global Strategic Litigation Council (GSLC). “We are demanding accountability for them, for their families and to ensure it never happens again.”

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/26/cecot-human-rights-petition