Venezuelans sent by Trump to El Salvador endured systematic torture, report finds

Human rights groups accuse Trump officials of complicity and draw comparison with scandal at Abu Ghraib prison

More than 252 Venezuelans expelled to El Salvador under Donald Trump's mass deportation policy suffered systematic and prolonged torture and abuse, including sexual assault, during their detention, according to a report published on Wednesday.

The report, compiled jointly by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Cristosal - a group investigating violations in Central America - says conditions at El Salvador's sprawling terrorist continent center" (Cecot) breached the UN's standard minimal rules for the treatment of prisoners. It cites inhumane prison conditions, including prolonged incommunicado detention, inadequate food" and other shortcomings.