El Salvador has launched a mass criminal trial against 486 alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, accusing them of involvement in 47,000 crimes between 2012 and 2022, including 29,000 homicides. This trial is part of a sweeping anti-gang campaign initiated under President Nayib Bukele.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that the defendants include national and street-level leaders, program coordinators from across the country, and founders of MS-13. Authorities accuse the gang of a variety of offenses, including the killing of 87 individuals in a single weekend in March 2022.
President Bukele declared a “war” on gangs after those killings, citing MS-13’s control over approximately 80 percent of Salvadoran territory. The government alleges that MS-13 sought to establish a parallel state within El Salvador and has charged members with rebellion.
Since 2022, El Salvador has been operating under a state of emergency, allowing authorities to arrest over 91,000 suspected gang members. Thousands of those detained were later found not guilty. The crackdown has garnered widespread domestic support due to a sharp decline in crime rates, transforming El Salvador from one of Latin America’s most dangerous countries into one of its safest.
However, human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and NGO Cristosal have condemned the campaign, citing concerns over due process violations, allegations of torture, and more than 500 deaths in prison.
The mass trials are conducted with defendants attending via video link from prison, and judges issue uniform sentences to groups of accused individuals. Prosecutors have indicated they have substantial evidence to seek maximum punishments, though they have not specified whether this includes life imprisonment.
MS-13 and its rival, Barrio 18, are involved in drug trafficking and extortion networks across Central America. Both gangs originated among Salvadoran youth in Los Angeles before expanding back into El Salvador, where they have terrorized communities for over 30 years. Bukele has accused gangs of causing approximately 200,000 deaths, including about 80,000 enforced disappearances.
At the trial’s opening, the presiding judge stated that these armed groups have undermined public security and peace for decades and would face the full force of Salvadoran law.
Why it matters
This mass trial illustrates El Salvador’s aggressive stance on gang violence, reflecting an unprecedented scale of prosecutions in the region. While the crackdown has led to substantial reductions in violent crime, it raises significant questions about judicial fairness and human rights protections amid concerns over potential wrongful convictions and mistreatment of detainees.
Background
MS-13 and Barrio 18 have long affected Central America with organized crime activities. The Trump administration classified these gangs as terrorist organizations, a move used to justify military actions against drug trafficking. Bukele’s government continues to prioritize dismantling these gangs to restore national security and public order.
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