El Salvador has begun trying nearly 500 alleged leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang in open court, amid mounting criticism from international human rights observers. The mass trial is part of President Nayib Bukele’s sweeping crackdown on gang violence, which has included a prolonged state of emergency and the detention of tens of thousands of suspected gang members.
While the government argues the prosecutions are necessary to restore public safety, international organizations have raised concerns about due process, prison conditions, and the erosion of civil liberties under the emergency regime.
