President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has signed new reforms that permit life imprisonment for individuals convicted of serious crimes, including those as young as 12 years old. The legislation applies to offenses such as homicide, femicide, and rape.

The reforms signed by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele would apply to people convicted of committing or being an accomplice to crimes including homicide, femicide, rape and gang membership. <img alt="El presidente de El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, habla durante una conferencia de prensa con el presidente electo de Chile en el palacio presidencial en San Salvador, El Salvador, el viernes 30 de enero de 2026." src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4498x2999+0+0/resize/4498...