El Salvador Commences Mass Trial of Hundreds of Alleged MS-13 Gang Members Amid Ongoing State of Emergency

Apr 24, 2026, 09:48

Introduction

On Thursday, El Salvador initiated a mass trial of 486 suspected members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison, as part of President Nayib Bukele''s intensified crackdown on organized crime.

Main Body

The trial, held in the prison''s main hall, involves 220 defendants physically present, with hundreds more appearing remotely from other facilities. Prosecutors accuse the group of collectively committing more than 29,000 murders and over 47,000 total crimes, including extortion and arms trafficking, between 2012 and 2022. Among the defendants are approximately 20 alleged leaders, including individuals identified as ''The little devil of Hollywood'' and ''Snaider of Pasadena.'' During proceedings, a witness testified to acts of torture, including burning of genitals. President Bukele has compared the mass trial to the Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders. The trial is closed to the public, and critics argue that such proceedings violate due process. Human rights organizations have expressed concern that innocent individuals may be swept up in the process. The state of emergency, imposed in March 2022, has led to the arrest of over 90,000 people, many of whom were later released. The government credits the crackdown with reducing the homicide rate to 1.3 per 100,000 in 2024, down from 7.8 in 2022. However, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has reiterated concerns about rights violations, including reports of torture and over 500 deaths in custody. Additionally, the United States alleged in 2021 that Bukele''s government engaged in covert negotiations with gangs, a claim the administration has not publicly addressed. Supporters of Bukele argue that his policies have restored security to a country once considered the murder capital of the world.

Conclusion

The mass trial represents a continuation of Bukele''s controversial anti-gang strategy, which has garnered broad domestic support but drawn international criticism over its impact on civil liberties and judicial fairness.

Vocabulary Learning

covert
Not openly acknowledged or displayed; secret秘密的，隱蔽的
Example:the United States alleged in 2021 that Bukele's government engaged in covert negotiations with gangs
due process
Fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen's entitlement正當法律程序
Example:critics argue that such proceedings violate due process
garnered
To gather or collect (something, especially support or information)收集，獲得（尤指支持或信息）
Example:Supporters of Bukele argue that his policies have restored security to a country once considered the murder capital of the world, which has garnered broad domestic support
state of emergency
A situation of national danger or disaster in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures緊急狀態
Example:The state of emergency, imposed in March 2022, has led to the arrest of over 90,000 people
swept up
To become involved in something, often without wanting to; to be caught up in a situation被捲入，被牽連
Example:Human rights organizations have expressed concern that innocent individuals may be swept up in the process

Sentence Learning

Among the defendants are approximately 20 alleged leaders, including individuals identified as 'The little devil of Hollywood' and 'Snaider of Pasadena.'
This sentence exhibits inversion: the prepositional phrase 'Among the defendants' is fronted, triggering subject-verb inversion (are ... leaders). It also contains a reduced relative clause 'identified as ...' modifying 'individuals', and an appositive listing the nicknames.此句展示了倒裝結構：介詞短語「Among the defendants」置於句首，引發主謂倒裝（are ... leaders）。句中還包含縮減關係從句「identified as ...」修飾「individuals」，以及列舉綽號的同位語。
The state of emergency, imposed in March 2022, has led to the arrest of over 90,000 people, many of whom were later released.
This sentence features a non-restrictive reduced relative clause ('imposed in March 2022') set off by commas, and a non-restrictive relative clause with 'many of whom' providing additional information about the people arrested.此句包含一個非限制性縮減關係從句（「imposed in March 2022」），以逗號分隔；以及一個帶有「many of whom」的非限制性關係從句，補充說明被捕者的情況。
Additionally, the United States alleged in 2021 that Bukele's government engaged in covert negotiations with gangs, a claim the administration has not publicly addressed.
This sentence uses a noun phrase appositive ('a claim') followed by a contact relative clause (without a relative pronoun) 'the administration has not publicly addressed'. The main clause contains a that-clause as the object of 'alleged'.此句使用了名詞短語同位語（「a claim」），後接一個零關係代詞的接觸關係從句（「the administration has not publicly addressed」）。主句包含一個that從句作為「alleged」的賓語。
Supporters of Bukele argue that his policies have restored security to a country once considered the murder capital of the world.
This sentence contains a that-clause as the complement of 'argue'. Within the that-clause, there is a reduced relative clause 'once considered the murder capital of the world' modifying 'a country'. The phrase 'once considered' is a past participle phrase.此句包含一個that從句作為「argue」的補語。在that從句中，有一個縮減關係從句「once considered the murder capital of the world」修飾「a country」。短語「once considered」是過去分詞短語。
The mass trial represents a continuation of Bukele's controversial anti-gang strategy, which has garnered broad domestic support but drawn international criticism over its impact on civil liberties and judicial fairness.
This sentence features a non-restrictive relative clause introduced by 'which', with a compound predicate ('has garnered ... but drawn ...') that contrasts domestic support and international criticism. The relative clause provides additional information about the strategy.此句包含一個由「which」引導的非限制性關係從句，帶有並列謂語（「has garnered ... but drawn ...」），對比國內支持與國際批評。關係從句提供了關於該策略的額外信息。