Peru's Keiko Fujimori Tours El Salvador's Notorious Mega-Prison

Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori visited the maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador on Thursday, a facility built by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to house the country's most dangerous gang members. Fujimori, who assumed the presidency in July, had previously expressed interest during her election campaign in constructing a similar prison in Peru amid a domestic security crisis marked by extortion and rising homicides.

Fujimori's visit to CECOT follows a recent tour by Costa Rican President Laura Fernández, who also visited the mega-prison as part of a trip to meet with Bukele. Costa Rica recently opened its own maximum-security prison in response to an increase in drug-related violence.

Upon arrival, Fujimori was greeted by El Salvador's Ministers of Security and Defense, Gustavo Villatoro and René Francis Merino Monroy, respectively. They provided the Peruvian delegation with a tour, explaining the prison's infrastructure, surveillance protocols, and methods for isolating gang members. Discussions between the nations focused on deepening technical exchange in citizen security, digital security, and the modernization of state services.

Fujimori commended El Salvador's security initiatives, describing them as a "successful model, a very useful model." She drew parallels to Peru's past struggles with terrorist groups in the 1980s and early 1990s.

CECOT, which opened in 2023, can accommodate up to 40,000 inmates. It gained international attention in 2025 when over 250 Venezuelan deportees, allegedly with ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, were sent to the facility. These individuals later reported experiencing beatings and torture after their release.

El Salvador has implemented a state of exception since March 2022, suspending certain constitutional rights to combat gang activity. This measure has led to the imprisonment of over 90,000 individuals, prompting concerns from human rights organizations about alleged arbitrary arrests. The country now holds the highest incarceration rate per capita globally, with approximately 1.5% of its population in prison.