El Salvador President Bukele and Attorney General Delgado: Free Ruth López
The Issue
To President Nayib Bukele and the Government of El Salvador: Free Ruth López.
Ruth Eleonora López Alfaro is one of El Salvador’s leading constitutional lawyers, anti-corruption advocates, and human-rights defenders.
For years, Ruth used the law to investigate corruption, defend constitutional rights, and stand up for Salvadorans whose voices were ignored by those in power.
On May 18, 2025, Salvadoran authorities arrested her.
She was initially accused of embezzlement. The accusation was later changed to illicit enrichment. Ruth has denied the charges and declared herself a political prisoner.
More than a year later, she remains imprisoned without a trial. Her case has been kept under judicial seal, limiting public scrutiny of the evidence against her. Amnesty International has declared Ruth López a prisoner of conscience and called for her immediate and unconditional release. Human Rights Watch and international human-rights experts have also raised serious concerns about her detention, access to lawyers and lack of due process.
Ruth’s imprisonment is about more than one woman.
President Nayib Bukele , you originally justified extraordinary emergency powers as necessary to confront the horrific violence of El Salvador’s gangs. But those powers increasingly exist alongside the criminalization of lawyers, journalists, activists and other government critics. Amnesty International has documented mass arbitrary detention, denial of due process, torture and other abuses under the state of exception.
Salvadorans should never be forced to choose between security and freedom.
We can demand safe neighborhoods while also demanding constitutional rights. We can oppose gangs while opposing arbitrary imprisonment. We can love El Salvador while demanding accountability from its president.
We call on President Nayib Bukele and Salvadoran authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Ruth López.
- Guarantee her safety, dignity and access to her family and attorneys.
- Respect the right to due process for all Salvadorans.
El Salvador belongs to its people—not to one president.
Safety without freedom is not justice.
Sign this petition and demand: FREE RUTH LÓPEZ.
191
The Issue
To President Nayib Bukele and the Government of El Salvador: Free Ruth López.
Ruth Eleonora López Alfaro is one of El Salvador’s leading constitutional lawyers, anti-corruption advocates, and human-rights defenders.
For years, Ruth used the law to investigate corruption, defend constitutional rights, and stand up for Salvadorans whose voices were ignored by those in power.
On May 18, 2025, Salvadoran authorities arrested her.
She was initially accused of embezzlement. The accusation was later changed to illicit enrichment. Ruth has denied the charges and declared herself a political prisoner.
More than a year later, she remains imprisoned without a trial. Her case has been kept under judicial seal, limiting public scrutiny of the evidence against her. Amnesty International has declared Ruth López a prisoner of conscience and called for her immediate and unconditional release. Human Rights Watch and international human-rights experts have also raised serious concerns about her detention, access to lawyers and lack of due process.
Ruth’s imprisonment is about more than one woman.
President Nayib Bukele , you originally justified extraordinary emergency powers as necessary to confront the horrific violence of El Salvador’s gangs. But those powers increasingly exist alongside the criminalization of lawyers, journalists, activists and other government critics. Amnesty International has documented mass arbitrary detention, denial of due process, torture and other abuses under the state of exception.
Salvadorans should never be forced to choose between security and freedom.
We can demand safe neighborhoods while also demanding constitutional rights. We can oppose gangs while opposing arbitrary imprisonment. We can love El Salvador while demanding accountability from its president.
We call on President Nayib Bukele and Salvadoran authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Ruth López.
- Guarantee her safety, dignity and access to her family and attorneys.
- Respect the right to due process for all Salvadorans.
El Salvador belongs to its people—not to one president.
Safety without freedom is not justice.
Sign this petition and demand: FREE RUTH LÓPEZ.
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Petition created on August 7, 2026