Story perspectives

Virtual MS-13 Trial Highlights 6,000 Rights Violations Under Bukele

7/16/2026

Summary

Story summary

A three-month virtual trial of 485 alleged MS-13 members was held from the Terrorism Confinement Center, with prosecutors seeking maximum sentences.
Human-rights groups logged over 6,000 complaints of violations and arbitrary detentions during the emergency.
Since March 2022, the emergency has resulted in over 92,480 imprisonments, 8,000 releases, and at least 547 documented deaths in custody.
The emergency stays popular, with Salvadorans crediting President Nayib Bukele’s security policies for lower violence.

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Story summary

A three-month virtual trial of 485 alleged MS-13 members was held from the Terrorism Confinement Center, with prosecutors seeking maximum sentences.
Human-rights groups logged over 6,000 complaints of violations and arbitrary detentions during the emergency.
Since March 2022, the emergency has resulted in over 92,480 imprisonments, 8,000 releases, and at least 547 documented deaths in custody.
The emergency stays popular, with Salvadorans crediting President Nayib Bukele’s security policies for lower violence.