El Salvador extends anti-gang emergency for another month

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador’s congress has granted a request by President Nayib Bukele for a second one-month extention of the country’s anti-gang emergency decree. The vote Wednesday will extend the state of emergency, originally issued in late March, for another 30 days. The measure was approved with 67 votes in the 84-seat congress, where Bukele’s party holds a majority. Bukele has used emergency powers to round up about 34,500 suspected gang members following a spate of killings in March. Rights groups have criticized the measures, saying arrests are often arbitrary, based on a person’s appearance or where they live.