El Salvador launched in late April the largest trial in the country’s history against 486 alleged leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha-13, accused of ordering more than 29,000 killings committed between 2012 and 2022, in a process President Nayib Bukele described as “historic” and compared to the Nuremberg trials against Nazi leaders after the Second World War. The proceedings, held before a specialized tribunal with anonymous judges, represent the first case worldwide in which the “command responsibility” principle has been applied to a gang structure.
