&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘It is the only way,’ Elon Musk endorses ‘world’s coolest dictator’ Bukele’s brutal crackdown on gangs")
Billionaire Elon Musk endorsed El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's brutal methods to tackle the gang violence and organised crimes, saying "it is the only way". Musk was responding to a post on X by Bukele, in which the El Salvador leader was blasting his opponents for criticising his hard methods, like mass imprisonment of gang members. He advocated for a strong and tough police force along with a "well-managed prison" system.
"They say you can’t imprison your way out of crime," Bukele wrote in a post, adding "But in fact, a strong police force and a tough, well-managed prison system are the necessary first steps in transforming a hellscape into a safe, high-trust society".
El Salvador's president also received appreciation from Trump; in fact, the US president decided to send some hard criminals from America to El Salvador's prison. The move drew widespread criticism, citing the Bukele administration's poor record in handling the human rights of prisoners in his country.
Who is Nayib Bukele
Nayib Bukele, who was re-elected as president of El Salvador with an overwhelming majority, receiving 82.6 per cent of total votes, is credited with curbing crime in the country, which was once considered "Homicide capital of the World."
His "Territorial Control" plan, during which he deployed military and surveillance technology to monitor crime, was able to reduce homicide rates dramatically from around 18 per 100,000 in 2021 to under 2.5 in 2023, according to government data.
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US President Donald Trump with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington Photograph: (AFP)
Bukele, who describes himself as the 'world’s coolest dictator’, is also credited with the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), a maximum-security prison in Tecoluca designed to hold up to 40,000 inmates, mostly suspected gang members. Under his “state of exception” policy, Bukele’s forces arrested tens of thousands in a country with a population of around 6.37 million.
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However, his approach has drawn criticism for mass arbitrary arrests, overcrowded prisons, and reports of abuse, including torture and denial of due process. Human rights organisations argue that while security has improved, the strategy erodes civil liberties and concentrates power, raising concerns about authoritarianism. Critics warn that the gains in public safety may come at a high cost to democracy and individual rights.
