El Salvador has commenced a historic trial for 490 members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang accused of over 47,000 crimes including 29,000 homicides.President Nayib Bukele implemented these mass macrohearings following a state of exception that has led to the detention of 91,000 people since 2022.While the government claims these actions are necessary to dismantle parallel state structures, human rights groups continue to warn about documented abuses and the potential for innocent convictions.