Mass trial for 486 alleged MS-13 gang members begins in El Salvador

A mass trial of 486 suspected MS-13 gang members has begun in El Salvador, the country's attorney general's office has said.

The group are collectively accused of committing more than 47,000 crimes - including murder, extortion, drug and arms trafficking - between 2012 and 2022.

United Nations experts have criticised the use of mass trials, saying that they "undermine the exercise of the right to defence and the presumption of innocence of detainees".

But the attorney general's office said it had "compelling" evidence that would allow "maximum penalties" to be imposed on those found guilty.

Among those on trial are people alleged to have been involved in a wave of gang violence in March 2022, which saw 87 people killed in one weekend, and led President Nayib Bukele to declare a "war on gangs".

The attorney general's office did not provide details on the length of the trial but it said that 413 suspects were already in custody, while arrest warrants had been issued for 73 others who are being prosecuted in absentia.

A controversial state of emergency, which expanded powers to arrest those suspected of gang affiliation or support and suspended some constitutional rights, has been in place in El Salvador since March 2022.

Since it came into force, tens of thousands of suspected gang members have been arrested, but human rights groups have argued it has led to arbitrary detentions.

Supporters of President Bukele's hardline approach to fighting crime say it has made El Salvador a safer place but UN experts have warned his government it "cannot trample on fair trial rights in the name of public safety".

MS-13 is a transnational gang which was designated as a terrorist organisation by the US last year.

It was founded in Los Angeles during the 1980s, formed by immigrants who had fled El Salvador's civil war, but its presence is now larger in Central America.

The attorney general's office said "for years, this structure has operated systematically, instilling fear and grief in Salvadorean families".

It said the charges against the 486 suspects people also included femicide and disappearances, adding that the crimes had impacted lives and limited the country's economic and social development.

In addition, the accused are charged with "rebellion for attempting to maintain territorial control to establish a parallel state", the office said.