Mired in Legal Limbo: Venezuelan Prisoners' Fight for Freedom in El Salvador

Over 200 Venezuelan immigrants deported by the US are detained in El Salvador without legal basis. Amid strained diplomatic relations, a lack of evidence supporting their alleged gang affiliation raises human rights concerns. Venezuelan lawyers have initiated legal action, but El Salvador's judicial independence remains questioned.

Over 200 Venezuelan immigrants were deported by the US to El Salvador, where they now face detention in a maximum-security prison. The use of an 18th-century wartime law for the deportation has sparked controversy, especially since no concrete evidence backs their alleged connection to the Tren de Aragua gang.

Efforts to determine the legal status of these prisoners have hit a wall, as El Salvador, lacking diplomatic relations with Venezuela, has yet to make any clear statements. Venezuelan lawyers have filed for their release, marking a growing legal battle over the immigrants' detention.

The legal basis for their incarceration remains questionable, with experts calling the detentions illegal. Meanwhile, El Salvador's state of emergency, which gives authorities sweeping powers to tackle gang violence, complicates the situation as the country's judiciary comes under scrutiny for its lack of independence.

(With inputs from agencies.)