Nearly 490 alleged members of the MS-13 gang, including leaders, have gone on trial collectively in El Salvador, facing charges for 47,000 crimes including 29,000 homicides committed between 2012 and 2022. The proceedings are part of President Nayib Bukele's anti-gang crackdown. Prosecutors accuse the group of rebellion and seeking to establish a parallel state.
The trial, which started on Monday, involves 486 suspects designated by the Attorney General's Office as members of MS-13's national leadership, street-level leaders, program coordinators, and founders. Authorities link them to 47,000 crimes over a decade, highlighted by the killing of 87 people in one weekend in March 2022. That incident prompted Bukele to declare a war on gangs, claiming they controlled 80 percent of Salvadoran territory at the time. Under a state of emergency imposed in 2022, more than 91,000 people have been arrested, though thousands were later cleared of charges, contributing to a sharp drop in crime rates and boosting Bukele's popularity. Prosecutors stated they have ample evidence to seek maximum sentences, charging MS-13 with rebellion for attempting to create a parallel state. At the trial's opening, the judge declared that armed groups had disrupted the peace and security of El Salvador for decades and would face the full force of the law. The Attorney General's Office described the proceedings as settling a historic debt. Mass trials like this one feature anonymous judges and defendants appearing via video link from prison. Human Rights Watch and Cristosal have raised concerns over potential human rights abuses, including lack of due process, reports of torture, over 500 deaths in custody, and risks to innocent people. Bukele has accused MS-13 of 200,000 murders, including 80,000 disappearances.
