US EditionA Lawyer’s Prolonged Detention Shows How El Salvador’s Gang Emergency Extends to Common Crimes
- El Salvador arrested anticorruption lawyer Ruth Eleonora López on May 18, detaining her over two weeks before a judge in San Salvador.
- This occurred under a state of emergency Congress approved in March 2022, granting President Bukele powers to fight gangs but now extended to unrelated crimes.
- Lawyers say courts apply the emergency's 15-day detention rule broadly, including to sexual crimes, robberies, and also López's alleged illegal enrichment case linked to former official Eugenio Chicas.
- President Bukele dismissed criticism of his tactics, saying, "I don't care that they call me dictator," while human rights groups like Cristosal demand López's release and the emergency's end.
- The case highlights how special emergency powers meant to combat gangs are being used in general crime cases, raising legal and human rights concerns amid over 86,000 gang-related arrests.
24 Articles
24 Articles
San Salvador., A non-governmental organization dedicated to the defense of human rights yesterday asked the Supreme Court of Justice in El Salvador to order the release of lawyer Ruth López, arrested on May 18, hours after President Nayib Bukele asserted that he has “without care to be called a dictator,” in the face of the wave of criticism against her for the recent arrests of defenders of social causes and actions against her groups.
By Merlin Delcid, CNN en Español Lawyer and human rights activist Ruth Eleonora López was criminally charged in El Salvador on Monday for her alleged involvement in the embezzlement of public funds, her attorney Antonio Aguilar reported. Aguilar added that the Attorney General's Office of El Salvador filed the request with the Twelfth Justice of the Peace Court. CNN requested more information from the Attorney General's Office and the Court and …
By Merlin Delcid, CNN en Español Lawyer and human rights activist Ruth Eleonora López was criminally charged in El Salvador on Monday for her alleged involvement in the embezzlement of public funds, her attorney Antonio Aguilar reported. Aguilar added that the Attorney General's Office of El Salvador filed the request with the Twelfth Justice of the Peace Court. CNN requested more information from the Attorney General's Office and the Court and …
SAN SALVADOR (AP) — A human rights lawyer has been detained in El Salvador for two weeks on alleged embezzlement charges, but has not been brought before a judge or charged for more than two weeks.…
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A lawyer’s prolonged detention shows how El Salvador’s gang emergency extends to common crimes
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador’s arrest of an anticorruption lawyer from a well-known human rights organization last month is the latest example of how special powers given to President Nayib Bukele to battle the country’s gangs are being applied to a host of unrelated alleged crimes. Police arrested Ruth Eleonora López at her home on May 18, alleging she aided one of her former employers being prosecuted for embezzlement. López ha…
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