• Venezuelan migrants deported from the US report systematic torture in El Salvador's CECOT prison.
• Claims include physical and sexual abuse, lack of legal representation, and unsanitary conditions.
• Venezuela has launched an investigation into Salvadoran officials, including President Bukele.
• The deportations were carried out under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, raising legal and ethical concerns.
• The migrants were part of a prisoner exchange deal involving the US, El Salvador, and Venezuela.

Venezuelan authorities have initiated an investigation into the treatment of over 250 migrants who were deported to El Salvador and alleged torture in the notorious CECOT prison. Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab disclosed during a press conference that detainees reported being beaten, sexually abused, and fed spoiled food, leading to widespread international condemnation. Many migrants displayed visible injuries, including bruises and signs of being shot with rubber bullets, according to multiple sources (SCMP, BBC, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, India Times).

Many of the deported migrants, who were sent to El Salvador without due process under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, reported a lack of access to legal representation and family contact. They were last seen in photos published by the Salvadoran government, where they were depicted arriving at the prison shackled and with shaved heads. These conditions prompted severe criticism from human rights organizations, and Venezuelan officials are now targeting President Nayib Bukele and others for potential crimes against humanity based on the migrants' accounts (SCMP, BBC, Al Jazeera).

The Venezuelan government has since repatriated these individuals in a prisoner swap, resulting in the release of ten US citizens held in Venezuela. The exchange created a diplomatic dialogue surrounding human rights and the treatment of migrants, placing the conditions of prisons like CECOT under scrutiny. Tarek William Saab has claimed that over 123 complaints of abuse have been filed by the migrants, indicating a systemic issue within the prison system run by Bukele's administration (Newsweek, India Times).

Venezuela itself is facing investigations concerning allegations of torture against political prisoners, raising broader questions about human rights policies in both countries. Critics have labeled the deportation actions and subsequent treatment of migrants as "kidnapping," urging international bodies such as the UN Human Rights Council to intervene (SCMP, BBC, Al Jazeera, Newsweek, India Times).