Overview
- Richard Madeley gained rare access to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca and says his crew were nearly expelled after pressing prison officials during filming.
- He reports seeing thousands of shaven‑headed inmates held in densely packed cells with lights on 24/7, no family visits, roughly 23.5 hours locked up daily and about 30 minutes outside for exercise.
- Madeley says guards showed him graphic videos allegedly produced by gang members and described many prisoners as violent criminals, language he uses while also calling CECOT a breach of human rights.
- The programme is scheduled to air on Channel 5 and has reopened debate over whether Bukele’s hardline prison regime, credited with cutting gang violence, can be squared with basic rights.
- CECOT was ordered by President Nayib Bukele in 2022, was built to hold up to 40,000 inmates and currently houses an estimated 15,000, a fact that ties the site to wider questions about deportations and international cooperation.