El Salvador conducting mass trials on hundreds of MS-13 gang members accused of thousands of murders

El Salvador is conducting mass trials of thousands of suspected members of the Central American gang MS-13. The suspects are accused of thousands of murders. 

The trails are part of President Nayib Bukele's crackdown on anti-gang activity in the country, and many of the prisoners have been held for years without charges or visiting rights, according to CBS News. 

The El Salvadoran Attorney General's Office said that the trials were for 486 suspected MS-13 members accused of 47,000 crimes committed from 2012 to 2022 – including 29,000 homicides. 

One case involves the killing of 87 people in a single weekend in March 2022. 

Bukele's campaign has made him highly popular in the country, which has seen a dramatic decrease in crime, turning the once violence-infested country into one of Latin America's safest.