Uziel Died Free from Prison, but Still Bound by the State of Exception
<p>Four years ago, Uziel de Jesús Pineda walked out of jail a hero. Two dozen fishermen had been arrested from his community, an island free of gangs. He died this Tuesday of kidney failure, forced to check in at a distant courthouse to avoid returning to prison.</p>
Carlos Barrera
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On August 16, 2022, Uziel de Jesús Pineda became one of the first to be released from Isla Espíritu Santo, Usulután, following the mass arrests of local boatmen and fishermen in the early months of the state of exception.
Uziel spent a month in the cells of the National Civil Police in Usulután. Due to a long-standing condition of kidney failure, he was not sent to a prison. He spent a few days at San Pedro Hospital in the same municipality, battling a health crisis that brought him to the brink of death.
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The day he returned to the island, he was welcomed as a hero, with hugs, tears, and laughter. He survived a regime that makes people disappear within the prison system, with more than 500 dead, according to an independent count by Socorro Jurídico Humanitario. Many have been in jail for over four years.
Since then, only eight of the 25 people arrested on the island have regained their freedom. None of those detained belonged to or collaborated with gangs. Moreover, on Isla Espíritu Santo itself, there has never been a presence of gangs.
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Uziel regained only partial freedom, bound by the conditions of the state of exception. Every 15 days, he had to travel three hours to San Miguel to sign in at a court under alternative measures. He could not leave El Salvador, and if he failed to appear, he would be re-arrested.
On the day he was released, Uziel said, “I’m not even leaving the island.”
Salvadorans arrested during the state of exception and released from prison live in fear of re-arrest. Thousands remain bound by the judicial system, which requires them to appear in court to sign documents validating their whereabouts and status in El Salvador.
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In Uziel’s case, since his release in August 2022, he missed a court appearance only once due to health issues. His family had to submit all the hospital documents supporting his absence.
Uziel died on April 7, nearly four years after leaving prison, due to kidney failure. On the very day of his death, he was scheduled to appear in court to sign documents. He never obtained his full freedom.
Uziel died at age 29, free from prison, but still bound by the state of exception.