Gustavo Villatoro

Gustavo Villatoro
Villatoro in 2021

Minister of Justice and Public Security
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 March 2021
President	Nayib Bukele Claudia Rodríguez (acting)
Preceded by	Rogelio Rivas

Personal details
Born	Héctor Gustavo Villatoro Funes El Salvador
Alma mater	José Matías Delgado University
Occupation	Politician

Héctor Gustavo Villatoro Funes is a Salvadoran politician who currently serves as the Minister of Justice and Public Security. He was appointed by President Nayib Bukele in 2021. During Villatoro's term, he has overseen the Salvadoran gang crackdown which has since led to the arrests of over 74,000 alleged gang members as of 7 December 2023.^[1]

Early life

Héctor Gustavo Villatoro Funes graduated from the José Matías Delgado University.^[2]

Early career

From 2004 to 2009, Villatoro served as the general director of the General Directorate of Customs under President Antonio Saca.^[2]^[3] He has also previously served as the chief prosecutor of the Organized Crime Unit. The El Faro digital newspaper has alleged that Villatoro was a political operator for Saca during his term as general director of customs from 2004 to 2009. Similarly, Revista Factum and the IBI Consultants think thank have alleged that Villatoro a political operator for Saca's brother Herbert from 2009 to 2014, paying out bribes to deputies of the Legislative Assembly in exchange for votes. Villatoro has denied these allegations.^[3]

In 2019, President Nayib Bukele appointed Villatoro as the general director of the General Directorate of Customs. In June 2020, Bukele appointed Villatoro as the head of the Financial System Superintendence (SSF).^[3] That year, Villatoro was a candidate to become the country's attorney general. He promised to reduce homicides and extortion, but Raúl Melara ultimately became the attorney general.^[4] In December 2020, Villatoro ordered the country's banks to not sever ties with alleged financial criminals which were "founded in a decision of presumed culpability", an order which, according to lawyers, violated the Law Against Money Laundering and Other Assets.^[5]

Minister of Justice and Public Security

On 26 March 2021, Bukele appointed Villatoro as the country's Minister of Justice and Public Security, succeeding Rogelio Rivas. Villatoro's objective upon being appointed was "strengthening the investigative process for homicides and disappearances to reduce impunity rates".^[3] Bukele gave no reason why he replaced Rivas with Villatoro.^[4]

On 10 December 2023, Villatoro attended the inauguration of Javier Milei; Villatoro attended the inauguration in place of Bukele.^[6] He also met with Argentine Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich the day prior.^[7]

Salvadoran gang crackdown

On 27 March 2022, the Legislative Assembly declared a 30-day state of emergency after a spike in homicides the preceding weekend resulting in a nationwide gang crackdown.^[8] In June 2022, after almost 42,000 people had been arrested during the gang crackdown, Villatoro stated that the government aimed to arrest up to 80,000 gang members.^[9] Villatoro himself has presented proposals to extend the crackdown on multiple occasions.^[10]^[11] In January 2024, after the Salvadoran government announced that it had recorded 153 homicides in 2023 for a rate of 2.4 homicides per 100,000 people, Villatoro praised the gang crackdown, stating that it was a "courageous decision to confront the criminal structures" and claimed that El Salvador was the second safest country in the Americas after Canada.^[12]

Criticism of journalism

During his tenure as Minister of Justice and Public Security, Villatoro has been critical of journalists. In September 2021, Villatoro stated that the Salvadoran government was "following" ("dando seguimiento") various journalists.^[13] In May 2022, Villatoro claimed that the La Prensa Gráfica and El Diario de Hoy newspaper were "[protecting] the interests of criminal structures" ("proteger intereses de las estructuras criminales") instead of publishing genuine news reporting. Villatoro further claimed that both newspaper were "on the side of the terrorists [criminal gangs] and their allies in the [political] opposition" ("del lado de los terroristas y sus aliados de la oposición". Human rights lawyer José Miguel Vivanco criticized Villatoro's remarks, stating that they were a "direct threat from Bukele's security chief against two of El Salvador's major newspaper" ("amenaza directa del jefe de seguridad de Bukele contra los dos principales periódicos de El Salvador").^[14] Human Rights Watch similarly condemned Villatoro's remarks.^[15] In August 2022, Villatoro referred to journalists and politicians who opposed the country's gang crackdown as "Pseudo-Salvadorans" ("Pseudo Salvadoreños").^[11] In December 2022, Villatoro criticized international organizations by stating that "talking about torture is part of the same perversity that international organizations that have pretended that the country's gang problem is not resolved" ("hablar de torturas es parte de la misma perversidad de organismos internacionales que han pretendido que en el país no se resuelva el problema de las pandillas").^[16]

Personal life

Villatoro is a Roman Catholic.^[13]

On 23 August 2022, Villatoro received a formal recognition from the country's Attorney for the Defense of Human Rights for his security policies.^[17]

References

^ Guzmán, Jessica (7 December 2023). "Asamblea Aprueba 21a. Prórroga del Régimen con 74,000 Capturados" [The Assembly Approves the 21st Extension of the State of Exception with 74,000 Captured]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Lic. Héctor Gustavo Villatoro Funes (Vigente)" [Lic. Héctor Gustavo Villatoro Funes (Current)]. Government of El Salvador (in Spanish). 17 May 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Papadovassilakis, Alex (2 April 2021). "In El Salvador, a New Security Minister With a Dubious Past". InSight Crime. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
^ ^a ^b Moreno, Karen (27 March 2021). "Bukele Promueve a Exfuncionario de Gestión Saca como Ministro de Seguridad" [Bukele Promotes a Former Official During Saca's Term as Minister of Security]. Garo Encerrado (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Sullivan, Shane (13 January 2021). "El Salvador Protects Accounts of Suspected Money Launderers". InSight Crime. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Cerón, Leonardo (10 December 2023). "El Ministro Gustavo Villatoro Representó a El Salvador en la Toma de Posesión de Milei" [Minister Gustavo Villatoro Represented El Salvador at Milei's Inauguration]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
^ "Bullrich se Reunió con el Ministro de Seguridad de Bukele" [Bullrich Met With Bukele's Minister of Security]. El Ciudadano Web (in Spanish). 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ "El Salvador Declares State of Emergency After Gang Killings". Al Jazeera English. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ González, Mario (17 June 2022). "Ministro de Seguridad Quiere Encarcelar a 80,000 Pandilleros" [Minister of Security Wants to Imprison 80,000 Gang Members]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Velázquez, Eugenia (21 June 2022). "Asamblea Extiende por Tercera Vez el Régimen de Excepción en El Salvador" [The Assembly Extends the State of Exception for a Third Time in El Salvador]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b Velázquez, Eugenia (21 August 2022). "Ministro de Seguridad Llama "Pseudo Salvadoreños" a Quienes Critican Violaciones en Régimen de Excepción" [Minister of Security Calls Those Who Criticize Violations in the State of Exception "Pseudo-Salvadorans"]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ "El Salvador Claims Lowest Murder Rate In Decades Amid Gang Crackdown". Barron's (in Spanish). 3 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
^ ^a ^b "¿Quién es Gustavo Villatoro, el Ministro de Bukele que Admitió que el Gobierno hace "Seguimiento" a Periodistas?" [Who is Gustavo Villatoro, Bukele's Minister Who Admitted that he Government is "Following" Journalists?]. El Comercio (in Spanish). 6 September 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ "Ministro de Seguridad y Justicia Arremete contra Medios Escritos" [Minister of Security and Justice Attacks Written Media]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). 12 May 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Avelar, Ricardo (14 May 2022). "Human Rights Watch Repudia Ataque del Ministro de Seguridad a Medios" [Human Rights Watch Repudiates Attacks Against the Media by the Minister of Security]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Parada, A. (13 December 2022). ""Hablar de Torturas es Parte de la Misma Perversidad de Organismos Internacionales", Señala Ministro de Seguridad" ["Talking About Torture is Part of the Same Perversity of International Organizations", Signals Minister of Security]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
^ Velásquez, Eugenia (23 August 2022). "Procurador de Derechos Humanos Entrega Reconocimiento a Ministro de Seguridad" [Human Rights Attorney Gives Recognition to the Minister of Security]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 December 2023.