El Salvador's State of Exception: Human Rights Lawyer Ruth Lopez Becomes Political Prisoner

Ruth Lopez: A Champion for Justice

• 💡 Ruth Eleonora Lopez was honored as the 2025 Magnitsky winner for outstanding human rights lawyer for her tireless advocacy.
• 🎯 She led Christal's anti-corruption unit, investigating grand corruption within the current El Salvadoran government, particularly during the pandemic.
• ⚖️ Ruth represented victims of mass fraud, including those whose identities were stolen when Bitcoin was declared a national currency.
• ✊ She was a strong constitutional lawyer, presenting cases to the constitutional court against the regime's capture of institutions and undermining of the constitution.
• ⛏️ Most recently, she led a campaign gathering 60,000 signatures to reinstate a ban on metallic mining, a crucial environmental issue.

Arrest and Detention Under Judicial Secrecy

• 🚨 Ruth was arrested in the middle of the night by heavily armed police, initially under the pretense of a vehicle accident.
• 🔒 The charges against her were initially embezzlement, later changed to illicit enrichment, with the case managed under total secrecy.
• 🚫 Her legal team and the public were denied access to the formal accusation, hindering their ability to prepare a defense.
• ✈️ She was moved from a police department facility to a government detention facility and has had no communication with her family or lawyers since July 3rd, 2025.

Crackdown on Human Rights Defenders

• 👥 Ruth's arrest occurred during a crackdown where five human rights defenders were arrested within a two-week period.
• ⚠️ Their arrests and detentions have been marked by irregularities and illegalities, using extraordinary measures originally intended for combating gangs.
• ⏳ Ruth was disappeared for 40 hours, constituting a forced disappearance according to the UN Working Group.
• 🏛️ She was held without being presented to a judge for 15 days, a measure typically used against gangs under the state of exception.

El Salvador: A New Autocracy

• 📈 El Salvador is described as Latin America's newest autocracy, with security measures restricting fundamental freedoms and due process rights.
• ✊ The persecution of Ruth is seen as a persecution against all freedoms of the Salvadoran people, as her arrest sent a message that anyone can be captured.
• 💰 Ruth investigated corruption within prisons, where guards allegedly collect quotas from families for visits and where families pay thousands of dollars for access to their detained relatives.
• 🇻🇪 Before her detention, Ruth supported Venezuelan families seeking justice for migrants disappeared in a confinement center, presenting 76 habeas corpus claims.

Conditions for Female Prisoners

• 💔 While most documented torture deaths occurred in male prisons, female prisoners face unique ill-treatment.
• 🤰 Pregnant women are forced to give birth in prison during pre-trial detention, leading to the deaths of at least four newborn children.
• ☀️ Women accused of lesbianism face brutal torture, including being tied up in the sun and rain in prison plazas.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Women at home become primary caregivers for children and breadwinners, facing a triple burden of loss of economic means and seeking justice.

Hopes for Justice and Freedom

• 🗣️ Ruth's last words during her arrest were, "Have decency. One day this will all be over," which has become a hashtag of resistance.
• ⚖️ Hopes are for a public trial, an end to secrecy, and a change in detention status to allow Ruth to return home.
• 🕊️ Ruth is considered a political prisoner and a symbol of hope and decency for millions, with ongoing efforts to fight for her freedom.