El Salvador Mass Trials Begin - Joe Blogs

El Salvador has taken its crackdown on gangs to the next level.

President Nayib Bukele has already overseen the arrest of more than 75,000 suspected gang members, transforming El Salvador from one of the most dangerous countries in the world into one of the safest in the region.

Now, the latest development is the introduction of mass trials, where hundreds of alleged gang members are being prosecuted together.

In this video, we take a detailed look at what’s happening, how the legal process is evolving, and what this means for the future of El Salvador.

We also revisit the now infamous mega prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center, where inmates are held in extreme conditions, and examine the wider economic and political backdrop, including the country’s decision to adopt the US dollar and legalise Bitcoin.

This raises some big questions:

Has El Salvador solved its gang problem?
Are these policies sustainable long-term?
And is this a model other countries could follow?