El Salvador holds mass trial for 486 alleged gang members

A Salvadoran court on Tuesday began a collective trial of 486 alleged gang members, one of the biggest mass trials under President Nayib Bukele's crackdown on gang violence through controversial emergency powers.



Prosecutors say the charges against alleged members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang, or MS-13, span more than 47,000 crimes committed between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend that was El Salvador's bloodiest since its civil war.



The charges include homicide, femicide, extortion and arms trafficking.



Under the state of emergency that took effect in 2022 and has been repeatedly renewed, security forces have detained more than 91,500 people and Congress passed a decree allowing for mass trials.



Human rights groups have warned that the collective prosecutions violate due process and block defendants from accessing legal counsel.



The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday reiterated concerns over human rights violations through the long-extended state of emergency, and called for an end to its use as a crime-fighting strategy.