Story perspectives

Richard Madeley Briefly Tours El Salvador Mega-Prison, Then Expelled

5/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

Richard Madeley became the first British journalist granted access to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison for a Channel 5 documentary.
Director Belarmino Garcia escorted him in and ordered him to stop filming and leave after about fifteen minutes.
CECOT holds forty thousand gang inmates, serves 1,800-calorie meals, and includes ninety-six isolation cells for up to thirty days, though rarely used.
The documentary aired on May 27 2026 and is now on Channel 5’s streaming service.

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Story summary

Richard Madeley became the first British journalist granted access to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison for a Channel 5 documentary.
Director Belarmino Garcia escorted him in and ordered him to stop filming and leave after about fifteen minutes.
CECOT holds forty thousand gang inmates, serves 1,800-calorie meals, and includes ninety-six isolation cells for up to thirty days, though rarely used.
The documentary aired on May 27 2026 and is now on Channel 5’s streaming service.