Human rights defender Ruth Lopez (C). Photo: X/@juliaevelinM.
On Sunday, the Salvadoran Attorney General’s Office (FGR) arrested Ruth Lopez, a prominent human rights defender and head of the NGO Cristosal’s Anti-Corruption and Justice team, on suspicion of embezzlement.
The FGR accuses Lopez, an attorney named to the BBC’s list of the 100 most influential women of 2024, of allegedly participating “in the misappropriation of public funds” while working as an assistant to former government official Eugenio Chicas, who is also currently in custody.
“Ruth Lopez was a trusted advisor and right hand of Eugenio Chicas during his two terms at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal,” the FGR stated, without specifying the amount Lopez allegedly misappropriated.
“She continued serving as his right hand during his time as secretary of communications for the Office of the President, while she held the position of advisor at the Salvadoran Social Security Institute,” it added. “According to the investigations and information gathered during searches related to the case of Eugenio Chicas, her active involvement in the alleged crimes has been identified.”
Ruth Lopez, a human rights and anti-corruption attorney, who spoke to Rolling Stone earlier this year about the brutal conditions in El Salvador's prisons, has reportedly been arrested by the Bukele government.
(via @Cristosal)
🔗 https://t.co/BFRRXCURNL pic.twitter.com/uviBClm8N3
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 19, 2025
Nevertheless, her arrest has triggered national and international criticism, as Lopez has been an outspoken critic of President Nayib Bukele. Cristosal is also one of El Salvador’s leading humanitarian NGOs and has collected thousands of reports of human rights violations against citizens detained under the “State of Exception” in effect in El Salvador since March 2021. These allegations include torture and arbitrary arrests.
Lopez has played a central role in filing various claims of unconstitutionality, issuing reports related to transparency, submitting formal notices to the FGR to investigate irregular use of state funds, and participating in hearings of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) concerning El Salvador.
In October 2024, she formally requested that the FGR investigate alleged irregularities totaling US $513 million tied to the Bukele administration’s distribution of US $300 in COVID-19 relief payments to the public.
🚨 Human rights defender Ruth López was arbitrarily detained last night in #ElSalvador. Her whereabouts remain unknown. WOLA & other orgs condemn her arrest and demand her immediate release.
Read the full statement ⬇️https://t.co/ExHyhq6RDw#freeruthlopez
— WOLA (@WOLA_org) May 19, 2025
On Monday, the humanitarian organization Cristosal issued the following statement regarding the arrest of anti-corruption attorney Lopez:
“We denounce the arrest of Ruth Lopez, head of our Anti-Corruption and Justice team, attorney, human rights defender, and university professor, whose work is widely recognized and respected both nationally and internationally.
“The arrest took place Sunday night at her residence. This is not an isolated incident but rather part of a systematic strategy of criminalization against those who defend human rights that is driven by the government of Nayib Bukele. Her team has produced dozens of reports and analyses and has filed multiple legal actions related to government corruption.
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“At Cristosal, we have repeatedly documented and denounced the lack of respect for due process in El Salvador, as well as the use of state institutions to repress critical voices. We have also reported on torture, mistreatment, and deaths in prison facilities. We demand that the Salvadoran state guarantee the physical integrity and due process rights of our colleague Ruth Lopez.
“We reaffirm our full support and solidarity with Ruth, and we issue an urgent call to the international community, democratic governments, and human rights organizations to break their silence and take decisive action. Democracy and human rights do not defend themselves.”
