Salvadoran ex-officials say following orders in gang truce

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Former government officials on trial for participating in a gang truce that temporarily lowered El Salvador's sky-high murder rate in 2012 were following orders for the plan put in motion by then President Mauricio Funes, a defense lawyer said Thursday.

Witness testimony shows that the truce was a policy of Funes' administration and the 18 people on trial were just following orders, attorney Manuel Chacón said. Those on trial face charges of arbitrary acts and illicit association.

The pact was negotiated between the government and the two main street gangs, Mara Salvatrucha 13 and Barrio 18. They agreed to lower the number of murders in exchange for their leaders being moved to lower security prisons where they had greater control of their members.

Murders dipped from about 14 per day to five per day while the pact was functioning. But when it dissolved the following year and the gang leaders privileges in prisons were revoked the killings rose again.

This is the second trial for those involved, 17 former officials and ex-guerrilla commander Raúl Mijango. A judge cleared the accused in 2017, arguing that they had been ordered to act by then Security Minister David Munguia.

Funes, the former president who faces his own corruption charges, received asylum along with his family in Nicaragua.

"All of the prison directors, all of them were (acting) in the vein of facilitating a pacification process," Chacón said. "It wasn't opening the doors to all the prisons, but rather facilitating communication among them (gang leaders) so that they could reach agreements that could benefit the country."

Ex-National Civil Police director Francisco Salinas testified that two former attorney generals also participated in security Cabinet meetings that discussed advances with the gang treaty.