The Japan Times - Mass MS-13 trial held at El Salvador mega-jail

Seated in neat columns of plastic chairs in the prison's main hall, some 220 defendants are accused of collectively carrying out more than 29,000 murders.

"We burned her genitals and buttocks" one witness said over the loudspeaker, testifying in a mass trial El Salvador's president has compared to those of Nazi leaders at Nuremberg.

Among those on trial are about 20 alleged leaders and dozens of lieutenants, many with tattooed faces, heads, hands, and necks.

Some stared at journalists. All were dressed in white T‑shirts and shorts.

Hundreds more defendants appeared remotely.

Human rights groups have criticized the mass trials, warning that innocent people would inevitably be caught up in the process.

According to the testimony, gang members tied many victims' hands and took them to remote areas to kill them.

A phalanx of guards with full armor and riot shields watched over proceedings.

"It's a horrifying account that makes your hair stand on end," said a hooded CECOT security agent who did not give his name.

- 'World's coolest dictator' -

The hearing took place on the fourth day of the mass trial at the so-called Terrorism Confinement Center, southeast of San Salvador.

Two witnesses testified that gang leaders ordered killings from prison.

The alleged leaders included "The little devil of Hollywood" Borromeo Henriquez and "Snaider of Pasadena" Carlos Tiberio Ramirez.

Prosecutors accuse them directly of about 9,000 crimes. They listened to the accusations without reacting.

"These individuals caused mourning and pain to our society for many years," said CECOT director Belarmino Garcia.

Salvador's government invited journalists to witness proceedings under strict security protocols.

The prison, and the mass trials, have become centerpieces of media-savvy President Nayib Bukele's efforts to be, in his words, the "world's coolest dictator".

He has declared a "war" on gangs, imposing a state of emergency in 2022 which has since been used to arrest more than 90,000 suspected gang members.

Many caught in the dragnet were later declared innocent.

Supporters say Bukele has made safe a country once ravaged by violent gangs and dubbed the murder capital of the world.

He has served as a model for many right-wing political candidates across Latin America looking to tap into widespread concerns about crime.

US President Donald Trump sent 140 Venezuelan alleged gang members to CECOT last year, a move that US courts later said was unlawful.

In 2021, the United States alleged that despite Bukele's carefully cultivated tough-on-crime image, his government held "covert negotiations" and "provided financial incentives" to gangs.

Secret deals were allegedly cut to reduce violence and for gangs to provide "political support" for Bukele's New Ideas party.

H.Takahashi--JT