The Democracy Action Lab (DAL) and the Poverty, Violence, and Governance Lab (PovGov) at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University invite you to a screening and discussion of El Salvador: A Carceral State of Terror, a short video grounded in field research led by Dr. Beatriz Magaloni. The event will bring together scholars and practitioners to examine the consequences of El Salvador’s state of exception, its implications for democratic institutions and civil liberties, and the broader regional resonance of the so-called “Bukele model.”

The session will combine visual storytelling with expert analysis, fostering a conversation that bridges rigorous research with practitioner insights.

BACKGROUND

Nayib Bukele, President of El Salvador, is currently one of the most popular leaders in Latin America. Much of this support stems from the perception that his administration has successfully addressed the country’s most pressing issue: gang-related violence. To achieve this, Bukele implemented a state of exception, repeatedly extended, which allows military and police forces to detain individuals — primarily young men from low-income backgrounds — without judicial warrants. This security strategy has gained international attention and has become a reference point for political actors across the region. However, this apparent success carries significant costs.

Dr. Beatriz Magaloni, together with a research team from the Democracy Action Lab at Stanford University, conducted an in-depth field investigation into the consequences of the state of exception in El Salvador. The study includes fieldwork in both urban and rural areas, over one hundred hours of interviews, and qualitative analysis of testimonies and institutional dynamics.

KEY FINDINGS

The findings align with warnings from national and international human rights organizations, as well as leading media outlets. They point to severe human rights violations, including mass detention of innocent individuals without due process, the systematic use of torture in detention centers, and cases of enforced disappearance. Dr. Magaloni characterizes this system as a “carceral state of terror.” Additionally, the research highlights that the system has created economic incentives that disproportionately affect impoverished families, has become a tool to silence dissent and political opposition, and is contributing to significant democratic backsliding in the country.

SPEAKERS

• Mr. Noah Bullock —  Executive Director, Cristosal,  a regional human rights organization working across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

• Dr. Beatriz Magaloni — Graham H. Stuart Professor of International Relations, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Director of PovGov, and Co-Director of DAL

• Mr. Manuel Ortiz — Journalist, sociologist, and Audio Visual Consultant at the Democracy Action Lab
   

MODERATOR

• Dr. Alberto Díaz-Cayeros — Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Professor, by courtesy, of Political Science, and Co-Director of DAL