Gang violence in El Salvador

Nearly 500 gang members indicted in mega trial

486 alleged members of the criminal gang MS-13 are collectively on trial in El Salvador, reports the BBC. The suspected gang members are charged with a total of over 47,000 crimes, including murder and drug trafficking.

Among those charged are people believed to have been involved in the wave of violence in March 2022, when 87 people were killed in a single weekend. This led to President Nayib Bukele declaring “war on gangs” and declaring a state of emergency that is still in effect.

The mass trials in El Salvador have drawn criticism from the UN, among others, for failing to ensure due process for the accused.

Harsh crackdown draws criticism – but murder rate soars

Since El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele declared war on the country's criminal gangs in March 2022 and declared a state of emergency, more than 91,000 suspected gang members have been arrested, Reuters reports. The state of emergency has been renewed time and again, despite repeated criticism from human rights groups who believe it threatens the rule of law.

The mass trials in which several hundred suspected gang members can be prosecuted collectively have also been heavily criticized.

Bukele's government has defended the harsh crackdown by saying that it has yielded results. According to the government, the number of murders last year had dropped to 1.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 7.8 when the state of emergency was imposed in 2022.