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...

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.