Full Breakdown
El Salvador’s Mass Trials Under President Nayib Bukele’s Security Crackdown
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Massive Joint Hearings and Near-Universal Convictions
Since the start of 2026, El Salvador has been holding “mass trials” in which hundreds of defendants are tried together in a single proceeding. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reviewed four indictments covering more than 600 defendants and one court ruling that involved more than 120 people. In the reviewed cases, every defendant was convicted, receiving sentences of 30, 45 or 60 years for alleged gang-related offenses.
Background & Context
In March 2022 President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency to combat a surge in gang violence. The decree suspended several civil liberties and granted law-enforcement agencies expanded powers. The following year, El Salvador’s Congress passed legislation that authorized courts to adjudicate cases involving hundreds of alleged gang members in a single trial. The policy was presented as a means to dismantle organized crime quickly.
Data & Statistics
- Detentions: More than 92,500 people have been detained on accusations of gang membership or collaboration, including over 3,000 minors.
- Incarceration: Estimates place the current prison population at roughly 120,000 people, about 2 % of the nation’s 6.5 million residents, making El Salvador one of the world’s highest-incarceration-rate countries.
- Trials Conducted: Approximately 5,000 individuals have faced the new mass-trial format.
- Conviction Rate: Cristosal, a Salvadoran human-rights organization, reports that around 98 % of those tried are convicted; the small share of acquittals consists mainly of defendants near death who receive humanitarian release.
- Deaths in Custody: Human-rights monitors estimate about 500 deaths have occurred in state-run detention facilities since the emergency began.
Official Statements & Responses
- Government spokespeople have repeatedly cited high public-opinion approval for Bukele’s anti-crime policies as evidence of popular support for the mass-trial approach.
Criticism & Opposition
Human-rights groups and defense lawyers describe the trials as a “mockery of justice.” HRW’s Americas director, Juanita Goebertus, argues that the proceedings are designed to secure guilty verdicts rather than evaluate evidence. Lawyers interviewed by HRW say judges routinely block access to case files, limit the time available for defense arguments, and prevent private meetings with clients. Police officers quoted by HRW admit that many charges rely on fabricated or unverified reports, and that prosecutors often base accusations on anonymous witnesses who receive immunity in exchange for testimony.
Verbatim Quotes
- “El Salvador’s mass trials are a mockery of justice,” — Juanita Goebertus, the Americas director at HRW, in a statement
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the total number of people detained under the state of emergency. Some reports cite “more than 93,000” arrests since 2022, while others estimate the current prison population at “about 120,000.” The discrepancy reflects the inclusion of long-term pre-trial detainees and those sentenced under the mass-trial system, but precise figures have not been independently verified.
What’s Next
HRW’s report calls for independent reviews of cases processed under the state of emergency and urges the release of individuals detained without credible evidence. The Salvadoran government has not responded to requests for comment on these recommendations.