El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has publicly dismissed claims that deportee Kilmar Abrego Garcia was tortured while in custody, unveiling video footage intended to undermine the allegations.
The released clips show Abrego Garcia gardening, playing soccer, exercising, and enjoying leisure time—activities that directly contradict his earlier legal filings. In those filings, Abrego Garcia asserted he was subjected to sleep deprivation, physical beatings, and psychological torture during his time in a high-security prison.
Bukele questioned why Abrego Garcia appeared healthy, gained weight, and showed no signs of injury or distress in the video. He challenged the credibility of the torture claims, suggesting the footage proves otherwise.
Abrego Garcia, wrongly deported to El Salvador despite a U.S. court order, had been held initially at the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center before being transferred to a lesser facility. His lawyers maintain he suffered severe mistreatment there.
This public showdown underscores a deepening dispute: the migrant’s claims of abuse versus Bukele’s assertion that the conditions were humane and that the detainee remains strong. As this media exchange escalates, questions linger about transparency and human rights in the Salvadoran prison system.