this post was submitted on 23 Apr 2025
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By all criteria, this a concentration camp. Not “concentration camp” as rhetorical inflation, or emotionally manipulative shorthand, or edgy metaphor—but as in: literally.

As in: detention without trial, state control, inhumane living conditions, forced labor, dehumanization, brutal violence, isolation from accountability, psychological torture, and—by every available logical extension—murder.

That last one we can’t yet verify in the strict evidentiary sense, but the circumstances suggest it like smoke suggests fire, and they are already trying to hide their actions and deny what is occurring.

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[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 59 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The more important part:

Just before entering the Oval Office, Trump was captured in a hot-mic moment mentioned to Bukele how "home growns" should be next. He said: "The home growns. You gotta build about five more places. It's not big enough."

Homegrowns, as in dissidents. As in protestors. As in anyone with the audacity to call America what it is. And the room, apparently, didn’t flinch. No gasps, no silence. Just a few smirks and nods, maybe someone jotting it down like a policy idea instead of what it is: an open fantasy of authoritarian expansion. The kind you laugh at in the moment and implement in pieces, bureaucratically, later. Bukele shook hands. Trump grinned. Everything he says is a kind of joke. A cruel joke that becomes the reality.

[–] Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 months ago

It sounds so absurd, dystopian and even surreal that I find it hard to believe. But then again... It's the USA...

[–] nargis@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 2 months ago (1 children)

It's nothing new. I would have linked to the archive photos of Abu Ghraib prison photos, but I'm not sure it's allowed, since they're NSFW. The fact that Bukele declared that no one can escape pretty much confirms that it's an actual death camp. There are metal bunks just like the ones in Auschwitz. The prisoners are kept inside for 23.5 hours, with half an hour of exercise in the lobby. The cells claim to have 1 sq. m. for each prisoner, with 80-100 prisoners, and there is no sunlight, only 24/7 artificial light. The prisoners don't speak(allegedly), and have no clocks or reading material. Some have lost their voice from not speaking. It's impossible to keep so many people in one place; some detainees must have died eventually to make space for the newcomers. Food is scant, and violence is common.

Funnily enough, I've seen a couple of articles refer to them as 'gulags'. They aren't fucking gulags. Spreading their propaganda even when they see something this horrifying. It would be funny if it wasn't nauseating.

[–] wellfill@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Well prisoners sent to gulags had to be sentenced (in poorly conducted unfair trials, but still there at leas was a sentence), this is unfair to gulags from a legal view.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 30 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

But it is against brown people so it doesn't count!

[–] NosferatuZodd@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

username checks out

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 17 points 2 months ago (2 children)

CECOT and the White House really enjoy publishing these images of these people in white underwear and shackles being paraded around in little formations. Like are we supposed to be impressed by this?

[–] GrumpyDuckling@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They put the people with tattoos in front so it looks like it's all gang members. The people a few rows back don't have many or any visible tattoos.

[–] coolusername@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

i was thinking this too. are you aware of any videos that show this?

[–] GrumpyDuckling@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 months ago

I haven't seen ant videos of CECOT. It's just an observation from the picture here.

[–] metaldream@sopuli.xyz 0 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

When we take this country back, we need to send random MAGA voters and their leaders in the Heritage Foundation there. I'm sure they'd love to see it in person. They'll love it so much, they can stay for life. While they're there, we can remove their US citizenship since they won't need it during their retirement at CECOT.

[–] HiddenLayer555@lemmy.ml 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Even worse, they're straight up just selling people into slavery by sending them to a literal slave labour prison in a foreign country.

[–] vxx@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Selling? US pays 25k for each individual.

[–] nullpotential@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 months ago

I ain't clicking no substack link.