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Family members of 11 people accused of plotting to disrupt Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s 2024 inauguration have condemned their trial as a “judicial barbarity” after proceedings were postponed until September 7.
The case, which was scheduled to begin on Tuesday, involves three former leftist guerrillas, seven former soldiers and a media worker. Prosecutors accuse them of planning attacks on public locations, including gas stations and supermarkets, in an attempt to interfere with Bukele’s inauguration on June 1, 2024. The ceremony went ahead without disruption.
Outside the court, relatives of the accused held a protest and criticised what they described as serious flaws in the legal process. In a statement, they said there was “not even a single real piece of evidence incriminating” the defendants and called the charges “false.”
The families also raised concerns about the use of El Salvador’s state of emergency laws in the proceedings. The measures, introduced as part of Bukele’s crackdown on gangs, allow for secret trials and the use of anonymous judges. Defence lawyers have argued that these restrictions make it difficult to properly challenge the accusations.
Rights groups have criticised the state of emergency, under which around 92,000 people have been detained without court orders. International organisations have accused authorities of carrying out widespread abuses that could amount to crimes against humanity.
Among those facing charges is 70-year-old Atilio Montalvo, a former guerrilla and signatory to the 1992 peace accords that ended El Salvador’s civil war, which claimed about 75,000 lives. Due to health concerns, Montalvo is the only defendant not in custody and appeared in court in a wheelchair.
“From minute zero, it’s been demonstrated that my father and his companions are innocent,” said his daughter, Mextli Montalvo.
Another relative, Rosa Flores, said families had been left without information about their loved ones since their arrests. “What we are requesting and demanding is their urgent release, and that they are totally absolved,” she said.
The trial comes as Bukele prepares to seek another term in office next February after legal changes opened the door for indefinite presidential re-election. His party controls the legislature, while allies hold key positions within the judiciary, further intensifying debate over democratic institutions in the country.
