The Detention of Lawyer and Human Rights Defender Ruth López Alfaro In El Salvador

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SUMMARY

The New York City Bar Association has released a statement expressing its deep concern over the detention of Ruth Eleonora López Alfaro, a renowned Salvadoran attorney who heads the Anti-Corruption and Justice team at Cristosal and has dedicated her work to promoting democracy and exposing human rights violations by the government of El Salvador.

On the night of May 18, López Alfaro was detained by government actors at her private residence. According to the Salvadoran Attorney General’s Office via X (formerly Twitter), she faces embezzlement charges related to her advisory role with former official Eugenio Chicas. For over 40 hours, the government failed to disclose her location to her family members and lawyers.

The New York City Bar Association urges the Salvadoran government to “immediately cease the criminalization of independent legal professionals, release López Alfaro…and adopt effective guarantees for the safe and free exercise of legal defense in the country.” It also urges the IACHR to closely monitor this case and neighboring governments to “press for the immediate release of López Alfaro and the cessation of reprisals against civil society actors.”

REPORT

STATEMENT OF CONCERN REGARDING THE DETENTION OF LAWYER AND HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER RUTH LÓPEZ ALFARO IN EL SALVADOR, AND URGENT CALL TO ENSURE HER SAFETY AND RESPECT FOR DUE PROCESS

The New York City Bar Association (“City Bar”) expresses its deep concern over the detention of Ruth Eleonora López Alfaro (“López Alfaro”), a Salvadoran attorney who heads the Anti-Corruption and Justice team at Cristosal[1], an organization dedicated to promoting democracy and human rights throughout Central America. López Álfaro is a widely respected human rights defender and academic at the national and international levels.

Although López Alfaro has now been located[2], the City Bar remains gravely concerned that she was detained for over 40 hours without contact with her family or access to legal counsel. These conditions represent serious due process violations and reflect an ongoing threat to her fundamental rights. We further urge the Salvadoran government to refrain from misusing criminal proceedings as a means to silence lawyers and human rights defenders—particularly those, like López Alfaro, who have been involved in investigations of official corruption.

I. LÓPEZ ALFARO’S WORK

López Alfaro is a renowned Salvadoran lawyer, listed in the BBC’s 2024 list of the 100 most influential and inspiring women in the world for her courageous work investigating government corruption, defending human rights, and holding power to account as head of the Anti-Corruption and Justice Unit at Cristosal.[3]

As part of her role within Cristosal, López Alfaro led a series of high-profile investigations, including one that exposed the alleged misuse of public funds to surveil journalists and human rights defenders, as well as another that uncovered suspected corruption in the awarding of public contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] Through media appearances and on social media, she consistently maintained a critical stance toward the government in El Salvador.[5] López Alfaro has significantly strengthened accountability in her country by publishing reports, engaging in strategic litigation, and producing legal analysis that exposes corruption, human rights violations, and institutional abuse.[6]

II. LÓPEZ ALFARO’S DETENTION AND INCOMMUNICATION WITHOUT EXPLANATION

On the night of May 18, 2025, López Alfaro was detained by government actors at her private residence.[7] Through a public statement published on X (formerly Twitter), the Salvadoran Attorney General’s Office announced that it had carried out an administrative detention order against Ruth Eleonora López Alfaro on embezzlement charges. The statement alleged that López Alfaro, in her role as a trusted advisor to former official Eugenio Chicas—both during his time at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and later as Presidential Communications Secretary—participated in the misappropriation of public funds. The prosecution claimed her involvement was confirmed through evidence obtained during searches conducted in the investigation against Chicas. The Office further stated that Chicas would be formally notified of new charges from these findings.[8]

However, the government failed to disclose her location to her family members and lawyers for more than 40 hours. Some media outlets have speculated that López Alfaro’s detention is directly linked to her work as a government critic and her active defense of democratic principles and the rule of law.[9] Far from being an isolated incident, this action is part of a disturbing pattern of systematic criminalization of critical voices and human rights defenders in El Salvador under the government of Nayib Bukele.[10] On Monday, the mother and husband of López Alfaro publicly demanded her release following her detention the previous night.[11] On Tuesday, May 20, López Alfaro’s mother, Eleonora Alfaro, confirmed she was able to visit her daughter at the Traffic Division of the National Civil Police, where she is being held.[12]

III. CONTEXT AND CONCERN OVER THE PATTERN OF REPRESSION IN EL SALVADOR

These violations must be understood not as isolated or exceptional, but as part of a broader and troubling pattern. The detention of López Alfaro illustrates a systemic deterioration of respect for international human rights in El Salvador, where reprisals against legal professionals and human rights defenders have become increasingly frequent. To fully grasp the gravity of the situation, it is essential to examine the broader national context in which this detention has occurred—a context marked by growing authoritarianism, weakening of institutional safeguards, and the instrumentalization of the justice system to silence dissent.[13]

The IACHR in the thematic report El Salvador: State of Emergency and Human Rights has expressed concern over numerous reports of attacks against women human rights defenders in El Salvador, who, according to civil society, had registered the highest number of complaints—primarily involving harassment, cyberbullying, and arbitrary detention. The Commission recalled the gender-specific risks and disproportionate impacts these women faced, including discrimination, stigmatization, and sexist or misogynistic remarks, which often led to their complaints not being taken seriously. It emphasized that protection measures should have been adopted with a gender and intersectional perspective to ensure comprehensive safeguards.[14]

Moreover, the IACHR observed that there had been no progress in creating a solid legal framework to support the work of human rights defenders in the country. It reiterated its recommendation that the State adopt such a framework and implement a comprehensive protection policy, urging an end to stigmatization and degrading discourse originating from state actors, in line with inter-American standards that establish special responsibilities for public authorities.[15]

International organizations, including the Human Rights Watch[16] and International Amnesty[17] have previously expressed concern over the use of the Salvadoran criminal justice system as a tool for political persecution.[18]

Therefore, the detention of López Alfaro exemplifies a broader decline in the rule of law and human rights protections in El Salvador. This case is not an anomaly but part of a sustained pattern of state-led reprisals against those who defend accountability and fundamental human rights.

IV. VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS STANDARDS

The detention of a human rights lawyer due to her legal work constitutes a violation of international standards concerning the free and independent exercise of the legal profession, as enshrined in the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, as well as of the rights to personal liberty, freedom of expression, and due process under the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

The Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers[19] —principles 16 to 22— outline the essential guarantees that States must uphold to ensure lawyers can carry out their professional duties independently, securely, and effectively.

I. Governments must ensure that lawyers:

a. Can perform their professional duties without intimidation, harassment, or improper interference.

b. Can travel and consult with clients freely, domestically and internationally.

c. Are not subject to prosecution or sanctions for actions taken in line with professional duties and ethics.

II. Authorities must provide adequate protection when lawyers’ security is threatened due to their professional activities.

III. Lawyers must not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes in the course of their professional functions.

IV. Courts and administrative authorities must not prevent a lawyer from representing a client unless the lawyer is disqualified according to national law and in line with these principles.

V. Lawyers shall enjoy civil and criminal immunity for good-faith statements made during legal proceedings.

VI. Authorities must ensure timely access to relevant information and documents so lawyers can provide effective legal assistance.

Additionally, the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders recognizes the right of every individual, alone or with others, “to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels” (Article 1). It establishes that States are primarily responsible for protecting and implementing these rights by adopting appropriate legal, political, economic, and social measures, ensuring that everyone under their jurisdiction can fully enjoy them in practice (Article 2). Moreover, it guarantees that all individuals have the right to an effective remedy if their rights are violated, including access to an independent and impartial authority that can provide redress and enforce decisions without undue delay (Article 9).

The Declaration also affirms the right to participate in peaceful actions against human rights violations and obligates States to protect individuals from violence, retaliation, discrimination, or any arbitrary measures resulting from the legitimate exercise of this right. National laws must effectively safeguard individuals who peacefully oppose or react to violations, whether committed by state actors or private individuals (Article 12).[20]

These are just some of the international standards that protect lawyers and human rights defenders. However, the guarantees afforded to them are broad and comprehensive. They are designed to ensure that legal professionals can operate freely, independently, and without fear of reprisal, particularly when their work challenges state actions or defends vulnerable populations.

V. WE JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION OF HER DETENTION

The New York City Bar Association joins the international statement issued on May 19, 2025, by the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Latin America Working Group (LAWG), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Seattle International Foundation (SIF), Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), Amnesty International, Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF), CIVICUS Global Alliance, ARTICLE 19 Mexico and Central America, ACTing Together Jotay Program, International Platform Against Impunity, and Peace Action, in which we condemn the detention of Ruth López Alfaro, express deep alarm at the lack of information about her whereabouts and the denial of access to legal counsel and family, and demand her immediate release.[21]

This collective concern has also been echoed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), which expressed in social media deep alarm over reports indicating that López Alfaro was subjected to “enforced disappearance” following her detention by Salvadoran security forces on May 18 under an administrative order from the Attorney General’s Office.[22]

In addition, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, expressed concern over the detention of human rights lawyer López Alfaro in El Salvador. She noted that López Alfaro’s whereabouts are unknown, and she lacks access to legal representation. As head of the Anti-Corruption Unit at Cristosal, her arrest raises fears of retaliation and suggests a broader pattern of repression against civil society and government accountability advocates.[23]

VI. URGENT APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT OF EL SALVADOR

The New York City Bar Association makes an urgent call to El Salvadoran government to immediately cease the criminalization of independent legal professionals, release López Alfaro if the arbitrariness of her detention is confirmed and adopt effective guarantees for the safe and free exercise of legal defense in the country. Guaranteeing an independent judiciary to review her detention will be fundamental.

We also make a direct appeal to the authorities of El Salvador to respect their international human rights obligations, ensure the physical and psychological integrity of López Alfaro and other defenders, provide clear and timely information about her legal status, and fully uphold her right to due process.

We urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to closely monitor this case and consider initiating relevant procedures to assess potential violations of regional human rights obligations, including judicial guarantees and protection measures for human rights defenders.

We urge neighboring governments in the region to speak out against the criminalization of human rights defenders in El Salvador and to use diplomatic and political channels to press for the immediate release of López Alfaro and the cessation of reprisals against civil society actors.

Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice

Jaime Chávez Alor, Associate Executive Director

Cuitlahuac Castillo Camarena, Program Advisor, Institutional Integrity Program

Task Force on the Independence of Lawyers and Judges

Christopher Pioch, Chair

Inter-American Affairs Committee

Jessenia Vazcones-Yagual, Chair

May 2025