Home World El Salvador arrests prominent human rights lawyer

El Salvador arrests prominent human rights lawyer

Eleonora Alfaro (L), mother of lawyer Ruth Lopez of the human rights group Cristosal, speaks next to Noah Bullock (C), executive director of Cristosal, and Louis Benavides (R), partner of Lopez, during a press conference in El Salvador.

Eleonora Alfaro (L), mother of lawyer Ruth Lopez of the human rights group Cristosal, speaks next to Noah Bullock (C), executive director of Cristosal, and Louis Benavides (R), partner of Lopez, during a press conference in El Salvador. Marvin Recinos/AFP hide caption

toggle caption

Marvin Recinos/AFP

MEXICO CITY — Leading human rights activist, Ruth López, has been arrested in El Salvador, after the Attorney General’s office accused her of embezzlement of state funds. López leads the anti-corruption and justice program for the human rights organization Cristosal.

López has been an outspoken critic of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. She and her organization have documented human rights abuses in El Salvador — including inhumane conditions in jails and the extended state of emergency, during which the government has suspended many constitutional rights and imprisoned tens of thousands of suspected gang members without following due process.

Sponsor Message

Bukele and his government claim that the crackdown has made the country much safer, and while it has led to a dramatic reduction in crime, critics say it has also led to the detention of at over 85,000 mainly young men and widespread human rights violations.

Her arrest comes amid a growing crackdown on dissent in the country and at a time when the Trump administration is cultivating increasingly close ties with the Bukele government, after they agreed to imprison migrants deported from the U.S.

In a statement, Cristosal said Lopez was arrested at her home late on Sunday evening by armed police. The human rights organization say her whereabouts remain unknown and denounced her arrest as “short-term enforced disappearance”.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday alongside the leaders of the human rights group and Lopez’s partner, Louis Benavide, her mother, Eleonor Alfaro said the authority’s treatment of her daughter had been “cruel,” and demanded her immediate release. Both Cristosal and Lopez’s family deny the charges against her which they say are politically motivated.

Lopez’s arrest was confirmed by the Attorney General’s office in a statement on social media. They claim Lopez was involved in the misappropriation of state funds while working alongside the former President of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal magistrate Eugenio Chicas, who was arrested in February over accusations of illicit enrichment – charges he denies.

Sponsor Message

Over the past couple of weeks, the Salvadoran government has arrested protesters. President Bukele accused non-profit organizations of encouraging the protests.

Bukele has also announced he would begin to tax NGOs on the money they receive from abroad. The move was broadly seen as an attack on his critics.

In a joint statement a number of international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, condemned Lopez’s arrest and said they were “deeply concerned at the increasingly pervasive environment of fear that threatens freedoms in the country.”

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Must Read

Russia’s Largest Bombardment of Ukraine

A multi-story residential building damaged after a Russian drone attack in Odesa on June 28, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. OLEKSANDR GIMANOV/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption OLEKSANDR GIMANOV/AFP via Getty Images Russia attacked Ukraine with over 500 drones and missiles over the weekend, it was the largest air assault since

After Glastonbury, Bob Vylan faces U.K. criminal investigation and U.S. visa revocation

Bobby Vylan of Bob Vylan crowdsurfs in front of the West Holts stage during day four of Glastonbury festival 2025 on June 28 in Glastonbury, England. Leon Neal/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Leon Neal/Getty Images LONDON — The BBC and the annual Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts have come under criticism from the

In effort to protect children, France bans smoking at parks and beaches

A woman smokes a cigarette at Kerlouan in Brittany in France on May 30. The country is banning smoking in many public places. Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Vincent Feuray/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images PARIS — A restrictive outdoor smoking ban has come into force in France, a country where

80 years later, a Holocaust survivor meets an American soldier who helped free him

Andrew Roth (left) stands up from his wheelchair to give Jack Moran a hug at the Shoah Foundation at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Roth was imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp, which Moran helped liberate while serving in the U.S. Army. Grace Widyatmadja/for NPR hide caption toggle caption Grace Widyatmadja/for NPR

Canadian prime minister says U.S. trade talks resume after Canada rescinded tech tax

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a closing press conference following the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday, June 25. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP hide caption toggle caption Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said late Sunday trade talks with U.S. have resumed after