Bukele inauguration plot trial postponed to September

The trial of 11 people accused of planning attacks to disrupt Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's 2024 inauguration has been postponed to September 7, as relatives of the defendants denounced the case outside court.

The defendants include three former leftist guerrillas, seven former soldiers and a media worker. They were arrested between May and June 2024 and are accused of planning explosions at gas stations, supermarkets and other public places before Bukele's June 1 inauguration, which passed without incident.

Family members called the trial a "judicial barbarity" and said there was no real evidence against the accused. They also objected to the case being handled under El Salvador's state of emergency, which underpins Bukele's campaign against gangs, although the defendants are not accused of belonging to those groups.

Trials under the emergency measures are held in secret, and defence lawyers say that restricts their work. Relatives also criticised the use of a judge whose identity is kept secret.

Around 92,000 people have been detained without a court order under the state of emergency. International organisations say the measures have led to abuses that could constitute crimes against humanity.

Atilio Montalvo, a signatory to the 1992 peace accords that ended El Salvador's civil war, is the only defendant facing trial while free because of health concerns. He appeared in court in a wheelchair.