El Salvador Court Starts Mass Trial of 486 MS-13 Suspects

A Salvadoran court has initiated a mass trial against 486 alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, known as MS-13, accusing them of more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022. The proceedings, held virtually from the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, target leaders, coordinators, and other key figures within the group, which authorities say orchestrated homicides, extortions, kidnappings, drug and arms trafficking, and forced disappearances.

Prosecutors from El Salvador's Attorney General's Office presented evidence including autopsies, ballistic reports, and witness testimonies during the opening hearing. They allege the defendants ordered at least 86 killings during a violent weekend from March 25 to 27, 2022, which prompted President Nayib Bukele's government to declare a nationwide state of emergency. That measure, extended monthly since then, has enabled the arrest of over 91,000 suspected gang affiliates without standard judicial oversight. Officials seek maximum penalties for each charge, potentially totaling up to 245 years in prison per defendant if convicted on all counts, including rebellion for attempting to establish territorial control...