Police arrest activist documenting extrajudicial killings
Operation Check nabbed dozens of MS-13 gang members alleged to have been involved in the finances and leadership of the notorious gang in El Salvador. But it appears that Salvadoran authorities may also have used the round-up to arrest an activist who was documenting extra-judicial killings by security forces in the country. Dany Balmore Romero García was included among those arrested on July 28, after years of documenting alleged human rights violations against prisoners and alleged gang members. Nina Lakhani, in an article in the Guardian the day after the round-up, pointed out Romero's arrest: Dany Romero, a former MS-13 member who has dedicated himself to human rights and gang prevention work since he was released from prison in 2006, was arrested and accused of using his NGO OPERA as a front for criminal activities. Romero, who has won several prizes for his activism, has in recent years documented human rights abuses carried out by state secu...