Mass trial begins for 486 alleged MS-13 gang leaders in El Salvador
El Salvador has commenced a mass trial involving 486 suspected leaders of the MS-13 gang.
The suspects face charges related to over 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including murder, extortion, drug and arms trafficking.
The trial includes allegations linked to a violent surge in gang activity in March 2022, during which 87 people were killed over a single weekend.
This wave of violence prompted President Nayib Bukele to declare a "war on gangs." Among the charges are femicide, disappearances, and rebellion for attempting to maintain territorial control to establish a parallel state.
The attorney general's office stated that 413 suspects are currently in custody, while 73 are being prosecuted in absentia.
This judicial action is part of a broader government crackdown on gang violence that has included a controversial state of emergency since March 2022.
The emergency measures expanded police powers to arrest suspected gang affiliates and suspended certain constitutional rights.
El Salvador's National Civil Police have conducted research and monitoring efforts to locate, capture, and document the criminal activities of the accused individuals.
The attorney general's office emphasized that the gang's activities have instilled fear and grief in Salvadoran families and hindered the country's economic and social development.
MS-13 is a transnational gang originally founded in Los Angeles in the 1980s by immigrants fleeing El Salvador's civil war.
It has since grown to have a significant presence in Central America and was designated a terrorist organization by the United States last year.
Legal reforms in El Salvador have facilitated the holding of mass trials such as this one.
