A court in El Salvador is expected to deliver its verdict on Monday in an unprecedented mass trial involving 485 alleged leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang.
The defendants, who are participating remotely from various prisons, face more than 47,420 charges, including murder, femicide, enforced disappearances, drug trafficking and arms dealing.
Special organised crime prosecutor Max Muñoz has requested prison sentences amounting to "thousands of years", while President Nayib Bukele has compared the proceedings to the Nuremberg trials.
Human rights organisations, however, have expressed serious concerns about due process and fair trial guarantees, while also alleging widespread rights violations under the state of emergency that has been in force since 2022.
Colombia strengthens ties with Washington
Meanwhile, Colombia is deepening cooperation with the United States in the fight against drug trafficking.
The head of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Marine Corps General Francis Donovan, visited Bogotá for talks with military leaders and officials from the government of newly elected conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella.
De la Espriella, a close ally of Donald Trump who took office on 7 August, has ended peace talks with armed groups and joined the US-led "Shield of the Americas" alliance.
The initiative includes joint military operations targeting cocaine cartels, with Washington reportedly planning $1 billion in assistance.
Mexican journalists seek greater protection
In Mexico, more than 40 media organisations joined forces with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) to urge President Claudia Sheinbaum and government authorities to take immediate steps to protect journalists.
According to the appeal, seven journalists have been killed since the beginning of the year, while 17 have been killed since Sheinbaum took office in October 2024.
Press freedom group Article 19 reports that more than 180 journalists have been murdered in Mexico since 2000.
The appeal follows criticism directed at the Mexican presidency after the publication of the names of journalists and media outlets critical of the government, an incident that was followed by online attacks against those affected.
Source: CNA
