El Salvador has recently arrested Ruth Eleonora López, an anticorruption lawyer affiliated with Cristosal, one of the country’s leading human rights organizations. The government claims that she was involved in embezzling funds during her previous role in the government. This arrest, which occurred on a Sunday night around 11 p.m., has raised serious concerns regarding due process and human rights violations.
Cristosal condemned López's arrest as a “short-term enforced disappearance,” vehemently demanding that the government disclose her whereabouts. This organization has consistently been among the most vocal critics of President Nayib Bukele’s policies, particularly regarding the ongoing three-year state of emergency. Under this state of emergency, fundamental rights related to due process have been suspended, enabling the government to combat gang violence in the country.
The state of emergency has significantly restricted rights such as the freedom of assembly, the right to be informed of one’s rights, and access to legal representation. Moreover, it extends the period an individual can be held without being charged to 15 days. Approximately 85,000 individuals have been arrested under this extraordinary measure, raising further alarms about potential abuses of power and infringement upon civil liberties.
López leads Cristosal's Anti-Corruption Unit, which has been active in producing numerous reports and legal actions against governmental corruption. Her team has consistently documented and criticized the lack of due process within El Salvador's legal system, highlighting the use of government institutions to suppress dissenting voices. Additionally, Cristosal has reported instances of torture, mistreatment, and deaths occurring within prisons.
As concerns escalated following López's arrest, neither her family nor her legal representatives were informed of her location. Cristosal made a public statement asserting that authorities’ refusal to reveal her whereabouts or grant access to her legal team constitutes a blatant violation of due process, undermining both her right to legal defense and international standards for judicial protection.
The Attorney General’s Office has yet to respond to inquiries regarding López’s arrest, and the president’s office has also refrained from commenting on the situation. The accusations against López reportedly stem from her tenure as an adviser to Eugenio Chicas, the former president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. Chicas served during the administration of President Salvador Sánchez Cerén from 2014 to 2021. His transition to the Cabinet of Sánchez Cerén and simultaneous role as a congressman has drawn scrutiny.
In November, Chicas and some of his relatives were convicted in a civil case for illegal enrichment spanning from 2009 to 2021. He was detained in February and is currently facing criminal charges related to the same illicit activities. The Attorney General’s Office has alleged that López played a role in Chicas’ embezzlement schemes, further politicizing her arrest in the context of wider governmental crackdowns on dissent.
