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guatemala A new anti-gang law was passed on Tuesday aimed at giving the government more resources to fight the groups, now considered terrorist organizations.
The law designates Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha Gangs as terrorist groups, increases prison sentences for gang members convicted of crimes, and orders the construction of a new prison for gang members.
The law, which had been in limbo for years, gained momentum after 20 members of Barrio 18 escaped from jail earlier this month. That security failure led President Bernardo Arévalo to accept the resignations of three top security officials last week.
On Tuesday, before the law was passed, Arévalo said the escape was a coordinated plot by gangs frustrated by moves by his then-interior minister, Francisco Jiménez, to toughen conditions for them in prison.
Also on Tuesday, police said a fourth gang member who had fled with the group had been recaptured.
on September, trump The administration designated Barrio 18 as a foreign terrorist organization, something it had already done with Mara Salvatrucha.
Guatemala’s neighbor El Salvador has successfully dismantled gangs in its territory, but has done so by suspending some fundamental rights and jailing more than 80,000 people under more than three years of emergency.
Nevertheless, its security success has attracted the attention of other leaders in the region and calls have increased from their constituents for tougher action against gangs.