El Salvador to issue verdicts in mass MS-13 gang trial next week
Salvadoran authorities are conducting mass trials of thousands of suspected gang members as part of an unprecedented crackdown on crime.
El Salvador is scheduled to announce sentences for alleged MS-13 gang leaders next week, according to a spokesperson. President Nayib Bukele, who has gained popularity for his tough crime-fighting policies, initiated mass trials of thousands of suspected gang members. The 485 defendants face over 47,000 charges, including murder, femicide, extortion, drug trafficking, and forced disappearances.
Each leader could receive a prison term of thousands of years. Deputy organized crime prosecutor Max Munoz confirmed the verdict date on social media platform X. Munoz previously stated that these individuals will not be released from prison. Bukele has likened the trials to the historic Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders in the 1940s.
Since declaring a war on gangs in 2022, over 90,000 people have been detained extrajudicially. Human rights organizations allege that the government is guilty of crimes against humanity and imprisoning innocent individuals. Amnesty International reports hundreds of deaths in custody. MS-13 is a powerful criminal gang in Central America, deemed a terrorist organization by the United States.
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- El Salvador to issue verdicts in mass MS-13 gang trial next week freemalaysiatoday.com
