El Salvador judges hand first life term for aggravated femicide

In a landmark ruling, a Salvadoran court sentenced a 39-year-old man named Eduardo to life behind bars for aggravated femicide, marking the nation’s first life sentence for such a crime. The verdict stems from a stabbing murder of his neighbor in the western city of Santa Ana, with prosecutors noting a pattern of harassment toward the victim. The decision arrives just weeks after the legislature approved reforms allowing life terms for homicide, rape, femicide and terrorism, a key element of President Nayib Bukele’s hard-line security agenda.

Prior to the reform, the longest possible sentence was 60 years, often reduced for good conduct. Bukele’s broader crackdown on gangs has already led to the incarceration of over 90,000 people and the opening of the controversial Terrorism Confinement Center, drawing criticism from UN experts and human-rights NGOs.