Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published a comprehensive report documenting widespread and systemic violations stemming from El Salvador’s controversial mass trials, where hundreds of individuals can be tried and convicted simultaneously under sweeping legal measures.

The newly released report reviews four separate indictments covering over 600 defendants alongside a single court ruling involving more than 120 people. It also incorporates testimonies from 15 defense attorneys, who supposedly stated that their clients were systematically denied fundamental due process rights, leaving them practically unable to mount an adequate defense in court.

According to the findings, defendants in these mass proceedings face vaguely formulated charges, weak evidentiary foundations, and severely flawed judicial proceedings. In certain instances, defense counsel were purportedly restricted from reviewing case files or communicating confidentially with their detained clients.

These mass trials form a central pillar of the security crackdown initiated by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele amidst rising organized crime. While the Salvadoran regime has defended the measures as indispensable for dismantling criminal syndicates, critics and human rights advocates warn that such heavy-handed tactics lead to arbitrary mass incarcerations and systemic injustices.

Source: www.aljazeera.com