Mass Trial of MS-13 Members Concludes in El Salvador Amid Controversy

The trial of hundreds of suspected MS-13 gang members concluded in El Salvador. Prosecutors asked for the highest penalties. The trial included 485 members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang. Charges included homicide, extortion, and trafficking.

During the three-month trial, human rights groups voiced concerns. They argued the trial violated defendants’ rights. The country has operated under a state of emergency since March 2022. This suspended some constitutional rights. Thousands have been detained without investigation according to critics.

Juan Pappier of Human Rights Watch criticized the process. He said arrests happened without evidence. Courts are convicting many without proper defense opportunities. He claimed this practice does not serve justice.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office presented charges for 14,420 crimes by gang members. This includes 444 killings from 2012 to 2022. Prosecutors seek maximum sentences. This might lead to life imprisonment and $9 million in civil damages.

Prosecutors argued children and women were exploited by MS-13. The gang also maintained groups operating beyond El Salvador. The United States lists MS-13 as a foreign terrorist organization. Audio recordings in court reportedly contained orders for crimes from gang leaders.

The trial used virtual means with defendants in CECOT, El Salvador’s megaprison. Rehabilitation activities are not available there. The prison also holds migrants deported from the U.S.

The verdict date is not set. In July 2023, El Salvador reformed its criminal code for such trials. This allows grouping defendants by affiliations under emergency measures.

More than 92,480 suspected gang members or associates are imprisoned under the state of emergency. President Nayib Bukele claims 8,000 innocent were released. Rights groups report over 6,000 rights violation complaints and 547 in-custody deaths.

The state of emergency maintains popularity despite criticism. Residents frustrated with violence support Bukele for enhancing security. This is the second mass gang trial following the Barrio 18 gang trial last November. That trial led to a leader’s 397-year prison sentence.

The MS-13 trial features leaders like Dionisio Arístides Umanzor Osorio, known as “El Sirra de Teclas,” Borromeo Henríquez Solórzano called “Diablito de Hollywood,” Carlos Tiberio Ramírez Valladares or “Snayder,” and César Antonio López Larios, also known as “Greñas.”

Reporting by Anna-Catherine Brigida from Mexico City.