Ruth Eleonora Lopez defended Venezuelan immigrants who were deported to El Salvador by President Trump’s administration.
A prominent human rights lawyer known for defending deported immigrants amid the hard-hit anti-immigration policies of US President Donald Trump, has been arrested in El Salvador.
Ruth Eleonora López, 47, is a senior figure in Cristosal’s rights group and a critic of the voices of President Nayib Bukele of Trump Ally, president of El Salvador, and was taken into custody late Sunday.
The arrest was confirmed by the country’s attorney general’s office, which accused Lopez of embezzling state funds in an online post during an election court in El Salvador more than a decade ago.
“Neither her family nor her legal team were able to find her where she was,” Christothal said in a statement, denying disclosure of her location or allowing access to her attorneys to “blatant violations of legitimate proceedings.”
The group said her arrest “supposes serious concerns about the increased risks faced by human rights advocates in El Salvadoran.”
Lopez has publicly criticised the massive jail time of government gang members, many of whom have not been charged.
Cristosal, one of Latin America’s most prominent human rights groups, supports Salvador families who have been caught up in Buquere’s security policy, as well as more than 250 Venezuelan immigrants deported to El Salvador under the Trump administration.
Calling himself the “the coolest dictator in the world” and having a close relationship with Trump, Buquel said he was ready to house US prisoners earlier this year in the vast mega prison that El Salvador opened last year.
In March, Trump used wartime forces that rarely work, sending dozens of Venezuelans to El Salvador without trial, claiming their ties with the Trender Lagua gang.
On Friday, the US Supreme Court banned the Trump administration from quickly resuming the rapid deportation of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemy Act of 1798.
In April, Christosall reported that police had entered the office to photograph and photograph journalists and staff during a press conference. Part of what the observers say is a broader campaign of harassment and threats against civil society organisations and the independent media.
Lopez has been recognized by the BBC as one of the world’s most inspiring and influential women for her commitment to justice and the rule of law.
A joint statement, signed by more than a dozen rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, called for her immediate release.
“The exception state in El Salvador is not only used to address gang-related violence, but also as a tool to silence critical voices,” the statement said.
“Authoritarianism has been on the rise in recent years, with President Naibe Bukere weakening the system and the rule of law, persecuting civil society organisations and independent journalists,” he added.
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