CISPES joins Central American human rights organization Cristosal, Human Rights First, the Robert & Ethel Human Rights Center, and others in urging Members of Congress to speak out for Salvadoran human rights defender, Ruth López, arrested on May 18, 2025.

• Read on for background & call to action from Cristosal
• Use our online action platform (right) to send an email to your Rep & Senators to echo Cristosal's demands (after sending, we'll add your name to a parallel petition to show strength in numbers!)
• Join the online campaign. Share our posts on Facebook and Instagram

Salvadoran human rights lawyer Ruth López has now spent one year in prison without trial.

Ruth is a human rights defender and anti-corruption advocate who has dedicated her career to justice and accountability in El Salvador. As head of Cristosal’s Anti-Corruption Unit, she investigated major corruption cases, presented criminal complaints to the Salvadoran Attorney General, represented victims of fraud related to the use of Bitcoin as an official currency, and defended democratic norms through strategic litigation before the Salvadoran Constitutional Court.

In March 2025, following an agreement between the Trump administration and President Bukele to transfer more than 200 Venezuelans and Salvadorans to El Salvador’s CECOT prison without due process or legal representation, Ruth was among the few lawyers willing to challenge these actions.

Ruth filed 76 habeas corpus petitions on behalf of families seeking basic information about the whereabouts of their loved ones. Shortly afterward, she herself was detained.

Ruth was arrested at her home on May 18, 2025, without a judicial warrant and without prior investigation. She has remained in pretrial detention ever since. For much of that time, she has been held incommunicado, with severely restricted communication with her family and legal defense team. Despite her request for a public trial, proceedings in her case have remained closed to the public, raising serious concerns about due process, transparency, and judicial independence.

More than 500 legal and civil society groups have called for her release, including Amnesty International, which designated her a prisoner of conscience. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has also issued precautionary measures regarding her case.

The United States cannot stay silent on this atrocity.
Tell Congress: Fight authoritarian repression. Advocate for Ruth López.

After you send your email, we will add your name to the Congressional petition being circulated by Cristosal, Human Rights First, the Robert & Ethel Human Rights Center and Freedom Now (text is the same as the sample email provided)