Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori visits El Salvador's CECOT mega‑prison
Fujimori’s visit follows a week‑long tour by Costa Rica’s leader and highlights technical exchanges on gang‑member confinement.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori visited the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), the maximum‑security mega‑prison built by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, in San Salvador on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, according to the Associated Press and The Independent.
What happened
The visit took place at the CECOT facility in Tecoluca, which opened in 2023 and can hold up to 40,000 inmates. Fujimori’s delegation was received by Salvadoran Ministers of Security and Justice Gustavo Villatoro and of Defense Francis Merino Monroy. The officials gave a tour of one of the prison’s halls, explaining the infrastructure, surveillance protocols and isolation mechanisms for gang inmates.
What the reports add
- The Associated Press noted that Fujimori is the latest Latin American leader to tour the prison, joining other heads of state who have done so.
- The Independent reported that the visit comes more than a week after Costa Rican President Laura Fernández toured CECOT as part of a trip that also inaugurated a new maximum‑security prison in Costa Rica.
- Both outlets said Fujimori, who assumed the Peruvian presidency in July, had expressed during her campaign an interest in building a similar facility to address Peru’s internal security crisis marked by rampant extortion and rising homicides.
- The Independent added that more than 90,000 people have been imprisoned in El Salvador under a state of exception that began in March 2022, giving the country the highest incarceration rate per capita in the world—about 1.5 % of the population.
- The Independent also mentioned the prison’s earlier international attention when the Trump administration sent more than 250 Venezuelan deportees with alleged ties to the Tren de Aragua to CECOT in 2025.
What was said
"The prison is meant to house the most dangerous gang members," President Nayib Bukele said, as reported by both outlets.
"Successful model, a very useful model," Fujimori said of the security efforts undertaken by the Bukele administration.
"As is public knowledge, Peru also faced historical challenges in the 1980s and early 1990s, confronting two major terrorist groups," she added during the meeting with Salvadoran officials.
The Independent recorded that Ministers Villatoro and Merino Monroy briefed Fujimori and her delegation on the prison’s design and operational protocols.
How it came about
Fujimori’s interest in a prison model like CECOT stems from a surge in gang‑related violence in Peru, which she highlighted during her campaign. The technical‑exchange agenda for the visit aimed to deepen cooperation between Peru and El Salvador on citizen security, digital security and the modernization of state services, according to a statement from the Salvadoran Presidential Communications Secretariat. She is scheduled to meet with President Bukele later that day.
Key facts
- Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori visited the CECOT mega‑prison in San Salvador on Oct. 29, 2026. (winnipegfreepress.com)
- The prison was built by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and is intended for the most dangerous gang members. (winnipegfreepress.com)
- Fujimori was received by Salvadoran Ministers Gustavo Villatoro and Francis Merino Monroy, who explained the prison’s design and surveillance systems. (independent.co.uk)
- The visit follows a week‑long tour by Costa Rican President Laura Fernández, who also visited CECOT. (independent.co.uk)
- Fujimori has expressed interest in building a similar prison in Peru to combat extortion and homicide spikes. (independent.co.uk)
