Six soldiers were arrested in El Salvador for raping a 13-year-old. The attorney general is calling for a harsh punishment.
Six members of the armed forces have been arrested in El Salvador for the rape of a 13-year-old girl. A sergeant is accused of being the perpetrator and five soldiers of involvement, the Central American country’s public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
The girl was raped on Saturday on her way home from the beach with three friends in the town of Mizata on the Pacific coast. Another girl in the group was beaten and two other young people were threatened, residents reported.
Attorney General calls for harsh punishment
The defendants are accused of rape, false imprisonment, sexual assault, injuries and threats. They would have to pay dearly for the harm caused to the girl and her family, wrote Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado on the online platform X, formerly Twitter . “We will act against criminals with the full force of the law, no matter who they are.”
The military plays an important role in conservative President Nayib Bukele’s controversial fight against crime. The country with six million inhabitants has been in a state of emergency with restrictions on basic rights for a year and a half. More than 70,000 suspected gang members have been arrested. While surveys show that the president’s security policy is met with approval among the population, activists denounce human rights violations.
Source : NAU
