A mass trial began Monday in El Salvador against nearly 490 alleged members of the powerful Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, including those considered leaders. The defendants are charged with thousands of serious crimes, including mass murder.
According to the state prosecutor’s office, 486 suspects are connected to around 47,000 crimes committed in the period from 2012 to 2022, including around 29,000 murders.
The court system states that among the accused are members of the top of the organization, local leaders, coordinators and founders of the MS-13 network. Authorities claim the group is also responsible for a series of brutal attacks, including the killing of 87 people in one weekend in 2022.
Following the events, President Nayib Bukele declared a “war on gangs”, claiming that criminal groups previously controlled much of the country’s territory.
The prosecution additionally charges MS-13 with sedition, alleging that the organization attempted to establish a parallel system of government. The authorities say that the accused will answer for a “historical debt” to the state.
Since the imposition of the state of emergency in 2022, more than 91,000 suspected gang members have been arrested, including those who were later cleared of suspicion. The campaign has significantly reduced the crime rate, but has also drawn serious criticism from human rights organizations for alleged procedural violations, abuses and deaths in prisons.
Trials take place en masse, with large groups of defendants being tried simultaneously, often via video link from detention units, and verdicts are handed down by judges who remain anonymous.
In addition to MS-13, the rival gang Barrio 18, known for drug trafficking and extortion throughout Central America, also operates in the region. Both organizations were previously founded among youth from El Salvador in the United States of America, after which they spread to their home country.
The authorities claim that they have enough evidence for the harshest punishments, while critical organizations warn that mass trials carry the risk that the innocent will be convicted along with the guilty.
(Vijesti.ba)
