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Eleonora Alfaro (L), mother of the lawyer Ruth Lopez from the human rights group Cristal, speaks alongside Noah Bullock (C), Executive Director of Cristosal, and Louis Benavides (R), partner of Lopez, during a press conference in El Salvador.
Marvin Recinos/AFP
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Marvin Recinos/AFP
Mexico city – The leading human rights activist Ruth López was arrested in El Salvador after the general prosecutor’s office had accused her for embezzlement of state funds. López heads the anti-corruption and judicial program for human rights organization Cristosal.
López was a pronounced critic of Salvadoranian President Nayib Bukele. You and your organization have documented human rights violations in El Salvador – including inhumane conditions in prisons and the Extended state of emergency, In the meantime, the government has suspended many constitutional rights and locked up tens of thousands of alleged gang members without following a proper procedure.
Bukele and his government claim that the procedure had made the country much safer, and although it led to a dramatic reduction in crime, critics say that it also led to the detention of over 85,000 mainly young men and widespread detention Human rights violations.
Their arrest falls in the middle of a growing approach to dissent in the country and at a time when the Trump government is increasingly connected to the government of Bukele
In A opinionCristosal said Lopez was arrested in her house late Sunday evening by the armed police. The human rights organization says that its whereabouts remain unknown and convicted its arrest as “short -term forced disappearance”.
At a press conference on Monday together with the leaders of the human rights group and Lopez ‘partner Louis Benavide, her mother Eleonor Alfaro said that the treatment of her daughter was “cruel” and demanded her immediate release. Both Cristosal and Lopez ‘family refuse the indictment against them that they say politically motivated.
Lopez ‘arrest was confirmed by the general prosecutor’s office in A opinion on social media. They claim that Lopez was involved in the embezzlement of state funds when he worked together with the former President of the Head of the Head of electoral Tribunal Eugenio Chicas, who was arrested in February for allegations of illegal enrichment – charges that he contested.
In the past few weeks the Salvadoranian government has Arrested demonstrators. President Bukele accused non -profit organizations of encouraging protests.
Bukele has also announced that it will tax NGOs about the money that they will receive from abroad. The step was largely considered an attack on his critics.
In A joint explanation A number of international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, condemned Lopez ‘arrest and said that they are “deeply concerned about the increasingly omnipresent environment of fear that threatens the freedom in the country”.