A court in El Salvador held a virtual hearing that opened the trial against 492 alleged leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) accused of more than 37,000 crimes that were committed during the last decade. The accusations include homicides, disappearances of people, extortion and arms trafficking, according to the Prosecutor's Office of the Central American country.
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The attorney general's office reported that alleged MS-13 leaders were involved in 37,402 crimes from 2012 to 2022covering homicides, disappearances, extortions, arms trafficking and human trafficking.
MS-13, one of El Salvador's most violent criminal organizations, originated in the country's prisons in the 1990s and 2000s after its founders were deported from the United States.
They spread terror for decades, but they will pay for every life blinded, for every family destroyed.
Today the process of #RanflaCasethe time has come to ensure true justice.
Tomorrow we will know the judge's resolution. https://t.co/wNPBRvArme
— Rodolfo Delgado (@FiscalGeneralSV) February 8, 2024
In a video, Max Muñoz, deputy director of the Anti-Crime Prosecutor's Office, detailed that the alleged leaders of the criminal gang were also accused of “rebellion to the detriment of the democratic system,” by trying to control part of the country's territory and “collecting taxes.” , exercise their own justice and maintain an armed group to achieve these ends.”
The Prosecutor's Office official expressed that in the judicial process the legal situation of the accused will be defined, after an investigation that is expected to be carried out in the coming months, and indicated that maximum sentences for each crime will be requested.
The hearing took place after President Nayib Bukele announced his victory in the February 4 elections, attributed to his aggressive crackdown on violent gangs.
Mass trials amid increased gang crackdown
In 2023, the Congress of El Salvador passed a law that allowed simultaneous trials for up to 900 people accused of belonging to the same criminal group. This measure is part of Nayib Bukele's fight against gangs.
Bukele now has imprisoned 2% of the adult population and built the largest prison in the Americas to house tens of thousands of detained suspected gang members In the last 16 months, in total it has detained more than 75,000 citizens.
The recently passed legislation also increases the prison sentence for gang leaders from 45 to 60 years. Bukele's New Ideas party defended the measure as a way to restore order to the country and eliminate criminal gangs. The law was approved with 67 votes in favor and six against in Congress.
Although Bukele has earned high approval ratings in Latin America for his tough approach on crime, there is criticism that suggests he is undermining democratic principles by neglecting checks and balances on state powers. Currently, no long-term plan to improve prison conditions has been made public.
On the other hand, the detention of innocent foreign visitors, based on tattoos or residence in poor neighborhoods, has become more common, according to human rights organizations and local lawyers.
The country, under scrutiny for abuses in the fight against gangs
Authorities in El Salvador have come under fire from Amnesty International for alleged systematic human rights abuses against citizens during intensified crackdowns on gangs.
According to the report published by Amnesty International, the Government of El Salvador, headed by Bukele, has committed abuses such as torture, and also indicates deaths in prison. The organization maintains that the state of emergency declared by the president has led to widespread violations of criminal proceedings.
Under the state of emergency, which was implemented after a deadly weekend of gang violence in El Salvador, the government suspended certain civil liberties, including the right to a lawyer and the right to assemble. More than 75,000 people have been detained under the policy, and some Salvadoran families say their loved ones were arrested despite having no gang ties.
Ruth Elonaro López, a lawyer for the organization Cristosal, a Salvadoran human rights group, highlights that the state of emergency has eliminated the need for evidence to detain people, leading to arbitrary detentions and long periods of incarceration without substantial evidence. .
El Salvador has extended the state of emergency to the present, granting the Government powers to make arrests, access private communications and deprive citizens of their right to a lawyer. The Government argues that the fight against gangs has provided security to the Salvadoran population, but its critics insist that the high cost in human rights is not the solution to the challenges facing the country.
With EFE, Reuters and local media
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