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Venezuela Opens Probe of Bukele and Top Officials Over Torture Claims

Saab is interviewing returned migrants to build a case for international human rights bodies to probe the alleged torture at CECOT prison

Supporters of Kilmar Abrego Garcia rally outside of the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., where a hearing was scheduled to be held on returning him to Maryland, Monday, July 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
A State Department photo shows some of the 10 Americans freed from Venezuela returning to the U.S. this month. Dahud Hanid Ortiz is at center right, holding a small flag.
Arturo Suárez, one of the Venezuelan migrants deported months ago to El Salvador by the United States under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, is welcomed home by his relatives in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant who lived in the U.S. legally with a work permit and was erroneously deported to El Salvador, is seen wearing a Chicago Bulls hat, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on April 9, 2025. Abrego Garcia Family/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT./File Photo

Overview

  • Attorney General Tarek Saab has launched formal inquiries into President Nayib Bukele, Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro and Prisons Chief Osiris Luna Meza over reported abuses at the CECOT facility.
  • Saab presented videos and medical evidence from more than 250 former detainees who describe sexual violence, beatings, denial of medical care and inhumane conditions.
  • The migrants were sent to El Salvador in March after President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged Tren de Aragua gang members without judicial review.
  • Returned migrants are undergoing comprehensive medical examinations and detailed interviews in Venezuela as part of evidence gathering for the investigation.
  • Venezuela has urged the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council to pursue accountability for potential crimes against humanity in El Salvador’s detention centers.