0
DAYS SINCE
RUTH LÓPEZ
WAS IMPRISONED
Free Ruth López Anti-Corruption Lawyer. Human Rights Defender. Prisoner of Conscience.
Ruth López is one of Central America's most respected anti-corruption lawyers and human rights defenders.
Arrested on May 18, 2025, she remains imprisoned without trial in El Salvador. As Head of Anti-Corruption and Justice at Cristosal, Ruth has spent her career defending victims, exposing corruption, and advancing the rule of law.
Amnesty International has declared Ruth a Prisoner of Conscience, and international human rights organizations, legal associations, and United Nations experts have called for her immediate release.
Stand With Ruth
Ruth spent her career standing alongside others in their search for truth and justice. Today, we stand alongside her.Public attention helps protect Ruth’s rights, support her family, and sustain international pressure for justice and due process. Explore our advocacy toolkit for ways to share her story, contact decision-makers, and support ongoing efforts to secure her freedom.
Speak Her Name
Share Ruth’s story in your community, on social media, in conversations, and in the spaces you are part of. Help ensure she is not forgotten.
Contact your elected officials
We ask you to act, call and email your elected officials, speak her name, and raise your voice.
Raise your voice
Bring others into this effort and help grow collective pressure.
What Happened?
Ruth López was arrested at her home on May 18, 2025, without a judicial warrant. Since then, she has remained imprisoned without trial. Throughout her detention, authorities have repeatedly restricted access to her family and legal counsel, and her case has been conducted under extraordinary secrecy.
Authorities initially accused Ruth of embezzlement and later changed the charges to illicit enrichment without presenting new evidence. International observers have raised serious concerns about due process violations, arbitrary detention, and the use of prolonged pretrial detention as punishment.
In May 2026, concerns about Ruth’s health intensified when she was transferred from prison to a hospital for a medical procedure without prior notice to her family. Authorities have not fully disclosed information about her condition or treatment.
Who is Ruth López?
Ruth López is an internationally recognized anti-corruption lawyer and human rights defender who leads Cristosal’s Anti-Corruption and Justice program. She has spent her career defending victims of abuse and promoting transparency, accountability, and the rule of law, becoming one of Central America’s most respected public-interest advocates.
Ruth has also received multiple international honors recognizing her leadership and courage, including:
- Included in the BBC list of the 100 most influential and inspiring women in the world in 2024.
- The American Bar Association’s 2025 International Human Rights Award
- The Award for the Right to Defend Rights, presented by the Embassy of France and the Mesa por el Derecho a Defender Derechos
- The Magnitsky Human Rights Award from the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign / Hermitage Foundation
- The Anti-Crime & Corruption Hero Award from OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project), presented in Amsterdam
- The 2026 Sir Henry Brooke Award from the Alliance for Lawyers at Risk
These recognitions reflect what is clear to the international community:
Ruth López is a principled defender of human rights and the rule of law.
Why Her Case Matters?
Ruth’s detention has become one of the most prominent examples of the shrinking space for independent voices in El Salvador. Her case is widely viewed as retaliation against a lawyer who has spent years challenging corruption, defending victims, and demanding accountability from those in power.
Shortly before her arrest, Ruth was helping families seek information about Venezuelan and Salvadoran detainees transferred to El Salvador’s prison system without due process. She filed habeas corpus petitions and advocated for basic legal protections and transparency.
Her imprisonment sends a chilling message to lawyers, journalists, human rights defenders, and others working to uphold democratic institutions and the rule of law.
