30th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – State Criminal Justice System Against Criminal Organizations

Honorable Minister Gustavo Villatoro began by welcoming national and international participants, emphasizing the significance of hosting the Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum in a country that now reflects, in practice, the very security policies long discussed in international forums. He highlighted that El Salvador stands today as the only country in the Americas that has successfully defeated its principal societal and state-level enemy: large-scale criminal organizations, particularly gang structures that once dominated national territory.

He credited President Nayib Bukele’s leadership and the Security Cabinet for establishing an independent, sovereign, and comprehensive security strategy. Minister Villatoro explained that El Salvador built a state criminal justice system specifically designed to confront organized

crime, based on a 360-degree analysis of regional threats. He underlined that gangs in El Salvador evolved into terrorist organizations that controlled communities, suppressed state authority, and operated with high levels of impunity due to historical judicial failures and outdated penal codes.

Villatoro reviewed the historical trajectory that allowed gangs to grow—from weak legal frameworks, fragmented institutions, and failed reforms in the 1990s and 2000s, to the increasing territorial control achieved by these groups over the following decades. He explained that previous governments lacked both the political will and coherent legal tools to confront these structures effectively.

He affirmed that the current administration’s turning point was recognizing gangs as terrorist organizations and implementing legislative reforms accordingly. Key measures included restructuring the penal code, redefining criminal group liability, strengthening penalties for organized crime, and enabling the state to act proactively rather than react only after violent incidents. He stressed that the legal framework now targets both the individual offenders and the criminal organizations as entities with their own operational will.

Minister Villatoro pointed out that, with legislative support secured in 2021, the administration executed decisive actions, including the state of exception declared in 2022, which allowed authorities to dismantle gang leadership, disrupt criminal finances, and regain territorial sovereignty. He highlighted that El Salvador’s approach is now unique in its effectiveness and doctrinal clarity, positioning the country as an international example of how to confront criminal structures that threaten national stability.

He concluded by reaffirming that peace and security are inseparable from sovereignty, and that El Salvador’s transformation reflects a doctrine centered on protecting citizens, strengthening institutions, and preventing criminal organizations from regaining power.