El Salvador Begins Trials Of 500 Gang Members And Leaders

El Salvador Begins Trial of Nearly 500 Alleged Gang Members and Leaders EL SALVADOR El Salvador on Monday launched a mass trial of 486 alleged members and leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, accused of tens of thousands of crimes, including murders, in one of the largest proceedings under President Nayib Bukele’s sweeping anti-gang crackdown. Prosecutors said the defendants are collectively charged with more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including around 29,000 homicides, as well as extortion, drug and arms trafficking, femicide and disappearances. Authorities alleged the group sought to “establish a parallel state,” charging them with rebellion. Among those on trial are individuals linked to a surge of violence in March 2022, when 87 people were killed in a single weekend. Those on trial include senior and street-level gang leaders and coordinators. More than 400 suspects are already in custody, with 73 others being tried in absentia. Prosecutors said they have “ample evidence” to seek “maximum penalties,” though they did not specify sentencing details. The trial is part of Bukele’s “war on gangs,” launched in March 2022 under a state of emergency that expanded arrest powers and suspended some constitutional rights. Since then, more than 91,000 suspected gang members have been detained, with authorities crediting the campaign for a sharp drop in crime. MS-13, a transnational gang founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s and now largely based in Central America, has long been blamed for widespread violence. However, rights groups have criticized the crackdown, citing arbitrary detentions, lack of due process and more than 500 deaths in custody. Critics warned that mass trials risk punishing innocent individuals alongside the guilty.