Dutch murder convict Joran van der Sloot may be transferred from Peru to a notorious and vast prison complex in El Salvador, De Telegraaf reported based on information from crime journalist John van den Heuvel and a letter by the Dutchman. Peru reportedly wants to send Van der Sloot to the prison, which holds 40,000 people in cells of up to 80, along with other “difficult inmates.”
Van der Sloot was convicted in Peru for the murder of 21-year-old Stephanie Flores in 2010. In October 2023, he also confessed to the murder of American Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005. The confession earned him a significant sentence reduction. He is expected to be released around 2046.
The Dutchman is currently imprisoned in the harsh Challapalca prison. But, according to a letter he wrote that the Telegraaf saw, he expects to be transferred to the even harsher CECOT prison in El Salvador.
There is considerable international criticism of the conditions in the enormous CECOT. Reportedly, some detainees are imprisoned there without trial. Some cells hold up to 80 people with no mattresses and only a single toilet.
Mayor Rafael López Aliaga of the Peruvian capital Lima is currently in El Salvador. According to Peruvian media, he is expected to sign an agreement with the Salvadoran government on the transfer of Peruvian prisoners. “We want these criminals to experience what a real prison is like,” Aliaga told Peruvian media.
It mainly involves serious criminals from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. But according to the media, the list also includes several “difficult inmates.” Van der Sloot may be among them.