# El Salvador anti-gang crackdown and rights crisis

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/el-salvador-ms-13-crackdown
> Updated: 2026-09-15T04:57:42.000Z. Sources: 86. Developments: 27.

The state-of-emergency anti-gang campaign launched in March 2022 has continued to produce massive court rulings and high incarceration rates. By mid-2026, authorities reported over 92,000 arrests and a significant reduction in homicide rates, including a streak of over 1,100 days without a murder. Judicial proceedings have increasingly utilized mass-trial reforms to prosecute entire gang structures. In June 2026, a court sentenced 254 MS-13 members to up to 85 years in prison. Prosecutors have sought even more extreme penalties; in a trial involving 485 alleged MS-13 leaders, prosecutors requested sentences totaling thousands of years, noting that leaders “don’t have ten lives to serve these sentences.” Other mass rulings have seen sentences reaching up to 1,048 years for members of the El Gremio organization. In August 2026, the Fiscalía General de la República reported that at least 69 alleged gang members, including MS-13 members, were sentenced to terms of up to 85 years for crimes such as extortion and drug trafficking. Regarding the mass trial of 485 alleged MS-13 leaders, President Nayib Bukele compared the proceedings to the Nuremberg trials. This trial involves more than 47,420 criminal charges, including approximately 29,000 counts of homicide, femicide, forced disappearances, and trafficking. While sentencing for these leaders was expected in late August 2026, the presidency announced a postponement of the verdict without specifying the reasons. Human rights organizations continue to warn of a deepening crisis. Amnesty International stated that the scale of arbitrary detentions, torture, and disappearances could amount to “crimes against humanity.” International NGOs have also criticized the mass trial format, alleging it violates the defendants' right to a fair trial. Following constitutional reforms approved in April 2026 that removed the previous 60-year maximum sentence, El Salvador has begun issuing life imprisonment sentences.

## Claims

- A Salvadoran court sentenced 28 alleged members of the El Gremio gang to prison terms of up to 1,048 years. (corroborated by 5 sources)
- Over 90,000 people are currently held in high‑security prisons in El Salvador. (corroborated by 5 sources)
- Two of the 28 defendants received sentences of 1,048 years each. (corroborated by 5 sources)
- A third defendant received a sentence of 1,038 years. (corroborated by 5 sources)
- The defendants were charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and formation of a criminal organization. (corroborated by 5 sources)
- The sentencing is part of President Nayib Bukele's 'war on gangs' campaign launched in 2022. (corroborated by 5 sources)
- The court's decision follows a mass trial of 485 alleged MS‑13 members that concluded on 15 July. (corroborated by 5 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-15: El Salvador issues first life sentence for femicide

El Salvador has issued its first life sentence for femicide following legislative reforms that abolished the previous 60-year maximum prison term.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-issues-first-life-sentence-for-femicide

### 2026-08-31: El Salvador postpones sentencing for 485 MS-13 gang leaders

El Salvador has postponed the sentencing of 485 alleged MS-13 gang leaders facing over 47,000 charges, including 29,000 homicides, in an unprecedented mass trial.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-postpones-sentencing-for-485-ms-13-gang-leaders

### 2026-08-27: El Salvador to sentence 485 alleged MS-13 gang leaders

El Salvador will announce sentences this Monday for 485 alleged MS-13 gang leaders facing over 47,420 criminal charges.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-to-sentence-485-alleged-ms-13-gang-leaders

### 2026-08-22: El Salvador implements mass sentencing under Bukele security regime

El Salvador's state of exception has led to mass trials and sentences of up to 85 years for gang members, amid debates over declining homicide rates versus human rights concerns.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-implements-mass-sentencing-under-bukele-security-regime

### 2026-07-30: El Salvador judges 28 gang members to up to 1,048‑year prison terms

El Salvador sentenced 28 gang members to up to 1,048 years; Ecuador’s Gran Fénix raid captured 12 suspects; Liberia incinerated $336 M of cocaine and sacked officials; Salvadoran navy seized a $34 M shipment;

21 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-judges-impose-up-to-1048year-prison-terms-on-28-gang-members

### 2026-07-23: El Salvador courts hand down up to 55 years in prison for gang members

El Salvador courts sentenced 124 MS‑13 members to up to 55 years and five BTS members to up to 40 years in prison for gang‑related crimes.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-courts-hand-down-up-to-55-years-in-prison-for-gang-members

### 2026-07-18: El Salvador courts impose up to 199‑year sentences on organized‑crime leaders

El Salvador judges handed up to 199‑year prison terms to ARGOZ fraud leaders and up to 43‑year terms to MGLS gang members, targeting major organized‑crime networks.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-courts-impose-up-to-199year-sentences-on-organizedcrime-leaders

### 2026-07-15: El Salvador's state of emergency accused of crimes against humanity

Amnesty International reports over 90,000 arbitrary arrests and 470 prison deaths in El Salvador’s emergency regime, saying the pattern may constitute crimes against humanity.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvadors-state-of-emergency-accused-of-crimes-against-humanity

### 2026-07-15: El Salvador mass trial of MS-13 gang leaders concludes

El Salvador’s three‑month mass trial of 485 MS‑13 members ended, with prosecutors seeking maximum sentences for 14 420 crimes amid human‑rights concerns.

9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-concludes-massive-ms-13-gang-leaders-trial

### 2026-07-11: El Salvador Sentences 97 MS-13 Gang Members to Up to 60 Years in Prison

El Salvador’s Second Organized Crime Tribunal sentenced 97 MS‑13 members to 25–60 years, with the top penalty of 60 years for gang courier Víctor Arias, citing hierarchical roles and weapons offenses.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-sentences-97-ms-13-gang-members-to-up-to-60-years-in-prison

### 2026-07-10: Salvadoran union leader detained since 2022; groups urge UN rights chief to intervene

Humanitarian groups demand the release of union leader Geovanni Aguirre and ask UN rights chief Volker Türk to visit El Salvador amid 92,000+ detentions under the 2022 exception regime.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/salvadoran-union-leader-detained-since-2022-groups-urge-un-rights-chief-to-intervene

### 2026-07-06: El Salvador judges 31 MS‑13 gang members to up to 45 years in prison

El Salvador’s anti‑gang court sentenced 31 MS‑13 members to 25‑45 years for illicit group offenses, citing the 2022 state of emergency.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-judges-31-ms13-gang-members-to-up-to-45-years-in-prison

### 2026-07-04: El Salvador grapples with a deepening human rights crisis and stalled veteran prison trials

El Salvador’s UCA report warns of a grave human‑rights crisis marked by arbitrary arrests, custodial deaths and constitutional reforms that weaken democracy, while COFAPPES says the trial of veteran political ​

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-grapples-with-a-deepening-human-rights-crisis-and-stalled-veteran-prison-trials

### 2026-07-02: El Salvador detains three men for threatening phone sellers with rifle in Usulután

El Salvador authorities arrested three men in Usulután for threatening mobile‑phone sellers with a rifle, part of a wider anti‑gang crackdown under the state of emergency.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-detains-three-men-for-threatening-phone-sellers-with-rifle-in-usulutn

### 2026-07-01: El Salvador authorities dismantle beverage‑distribution fraud gang

El Salvador police arrest seven members of a fraud gang that stole over $502,000 from a beverage distributor, seizing cash and devices in raids across Santa Ana and San Salvador.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-authorities-dismantle-beveragedistribution-fraud-gang

### 2026-06-30: US DOJ Convicts Three MS-13 Gang Members of Nine Murders

The DOJ secured federal convictions for three illegal‑alien MS‑13 members in Nevada for nine murders, kidnappings and racketeering across Nevada and California, citing a coordinated task‑force effort.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-doj-convicts-three-ms-13-gang-members-of-nine-murders

### 2026-06-30: MS-13 gang members convicted of murder and racketeering in Nevada

Three MS‑13 members were convicted in Nevada of murder, kidnapping and racketeering, facing life without parole; the verdict is hailed as a major win against gang violence.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ms-13-gang-members-convicted-of-murder-and-racketeering-in-nevada

### 2026-06-29: Mothers in San Salvador demand release of relatives detained under emergency regime

Mothers protested outside San Salvador’s cathedral, demanding release of relatives detained under the country's emergency regime and calling for individual trials and family visits.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mothers-in-san-salvador-demand-release-of-relatives-detained-under-emergency-regime

### 2026-06-26: El Salvador courts hand down massive sentences to over 170 gang members

Over 170 gang members, including MS‑13 and Barrio 18, received 25‑45 year prison terms in El Salvador, while a separate MS‑13 extortionist was sentenced to 16 years.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-courts-hand-down-massive-sentences-to-over-170-gang-members

### 2026-06-23: El Salvador extends emergency security regime while MS‑13 leaders face trial

El Salvador's legislature extended the emergency security regime, citing over 92,000 gang arrests and a record low homicide rate, as courts continue trials of nearly 500 MS‑13 leaders linked to dozens of deaths

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-extends-emergency-security-regime-while-ms13-leaders-face-trial

### 2026-06-18: El Salvador forces arrest MS‑13 gang members and dismantle internet‑fraud network

El Salvador’s FGR and PNC arrested five MS‑13 gang members and three suspects behind an internet‑theft scheme, seizing drugs, cash, computers and charging them with gang and cyber‑fraud offenses.

8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-arrests-three-over-illegal-internetservice-resale-scheme

### 2026-06-08: El Salvador prosecutors aim for multi‑thousand‑year sentences for MS‑13 leaders

El Salvador prosecutors say MS‑13 leaders facing a mass trial could receive sentences totalling up to 25,000 years, with 485 members charged for 47,000 crimes including 87 murders.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-judges-ms-13-leaders-to-face-thousands-of-years-in-prison

### 2026-06-06: Salvadoran MS‑13 leader arrested in Chiapas, Mexico

Mexican authorities arrested Salvadoran gang leader Orlando “N” (aka “El Misterio”) in Chiapas on June 6, 2026; he faces Interpol red notice and El Salvador warrants for serious crimes.

10 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ms-13-gang-leader-captured-in-chiapas-mexico

### 2026-06-05: Mass sentencing of 254 MS‑13 members in El Salvador and expulsion of a suspect from Guatemala

El Salvador sentenced 254 MS‑13 gang members, some to 85 years, under a new mass‑trial system, while Guatemala expelled a Salvadoran MS‑13 suspect with five arrest warrants back to El Salvador.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mass-sentencing-of-254-ms13-members-in-el-salvador-and-expulsion-of-a-suspect-from-guatemala

### 2026-06-04: El Salvador and Honduras dismantle major drug‑trafficking cells

El Salvador’s FGR and Honduras police arrested multiple drug traffickers and MS‑13 gunmen, seizing weapons and narcotics in coordinated crackdowns.

6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-and-honduras-dismantle-major-drugtrafficking-cells

### 2026-06-03: El Salvador judges sentence 254 MS‑13 gang members to up to 85 years in prison

El Salvador’s court sentenced 254 MS‑13 members, including leader Eugenio Morales, to up to 85 years after a lengthy single hearing, reflecting Bukele’s hard‑line gang crackdown.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-judges-sentence-254-ms13-gang-members-to-up-to-85-years-in-prison

### 2026-05-13: El Salvador sees low homicide days amid MS-13 murder arrest

El Salvador logs 1,211 days without murders as police arrest two suspects, including an MS‑13 member, for a May 9 killing in Nejapa.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/el-salvador-sees-low-homicide-days-amid-ms-13-murder-arrest

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Cite as: El Salvador anti-gang crackdown and rights crisis. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/el-salvador-ms-13-crackdown