After jokingly calling himself “the world’s coolest dictator” on social media, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has signed one of the harshest criminal justice measures of his presidency: a law allowing life prison sentences for children as young as 12.
The new reform, signed on Wednesday, April 15, applies to minors convicted of crimes including homicide, femicide, rape, gang membership, or acting as an accomplice in those offenses. According to U.S. News & World Report, Bukele’s allies in the Legislative Assembly approved the measure last month, and it is scheduled to take effect on April 26.
The law marks another escalation in Bukele’s ongoing crackdown on gangs in El Salvador, which has transformed him from a controversial political figure into one of the most popular leaders in Latin America.
For supporters, the move is a continuation of the hardline strategy that dramatically lowered violence. For critics, it is the latest example of the increasingly authoritarian approach that inspired Bukele’s “world’s coolest dictator” nickname in the first place.
Before the reform, the maximum prison sentence in El Salvador was 60 years for adults, with shorter terms for minors. Under the new rules, Salvadoran courts will be able to sentence children and teenagers to spend the rest of their lives in prison.
The law also creates new criminal courts for these cases and requires a review of life sentences decades later, depending on the convict’s age and the seriousness of the crime.
Bukele has built his presidency around the promise of restoring order in a country long terrorized by gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18. After a surge in killings in 2022, he declared a state of emergency that suspended constitutional rights and allowed authorities to make arrests with fewer legal protections.
Although the measure was initially described as temporary, it has now remained in place for years.
Since then, the government says roughly 91,650 people have been detained. Bukele has said that fewer than 10% have been released. Officials in his administration have repeatedly insisted that gang members taken into custody “will never return” to the streets.
The aggressive campaign has sharply reduced homicide rates and helped make Bukele extraordinarily popular in El Salvador. It has also fueled accusations of arbitrary arrests, mass trials, and human rights abuses. Advocacy groups say thousands of people have been jailed with little evidence, while lawyers and family members have reported difficulty locating detainees.
The sentencing law arrives at a moment when Bukele is also moving to extend his political future. Last year, lawmakers aligned with his party eliminated presidential term limits, opening the door for him to remain in office indefinitely. Bukele recently said he would stay in power for another decade if given the chance.
For what it’s worth, Bukele no longer uses “the world’s coolest dictator” in his X bio. It now reads “Philosopher King.”
