In the dark outside her home, half in the shelter of a police vehicle, Ms. Ruth Eleanora López quickly changed from her night clothes into a pair of pants and a shirt. She knew it would be cold in jail. Almost at midnight on May 18, police had come for her, and there would be no getting away.
López, a renowned Salvadoran human rights lawyer, is the head of Cristosal’s Anti-Corruption and Justice Unit. Cristosal has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of President Nayib Bukele’s increasingly authoritarian rule in El Salvador.
Cristosal was founded in 2000 by two good friends: the Anglican Bishop of El Salvador, Martin Barahona, and the Very Rev. Richard Bower, former dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Syracuse, N.Y.
In the years after El Salvador’s devastating civil war, the organization focused on helping churches in both the Global North and South align their efforts toward a shared mission of social justice. In the past 25 years, American Episcopalians from numerous dioceses, both individuals and church groups, have visited El Salvador and have become solid supporters of Cristosal.
Cristosal describes its work as rooted in the Anglican Communion’s commitment to justice and the inherent dignity of every human being. The organization’s mission is to defend human rights and promote democratic governance and the rule of law across Central America.
Elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2024, President Nayib Bukele remains widely popular—largely due to his crackdown on gangs that plagued El Salvador for nearly two decades. Since the start of his security campaign, more than 80,000 people have been detained, many without formal charges or access to legal counsel, and often with little or no contact with family. Rights groups have documented reports of inhumane conditions, including torture. According to Cristosal, 261 adults and children had died in state custody by July 2024.
Alongside suspected gang members, thousands of innocent men and women have also been swept up in the mass detentions. Cristosal has emerged as a vocal advocate—at times one of the only voices speaking on behalf of those who have disappeared into El Salvador’s opaque prison system.
Cristosal and López have filed 15 formal complaints and reports of corruption against the Bukele administration. These include allegations of large-scale embezzlement of international aid intended for COVID-19 relief, as well as reports of water contamination in surrounding communities during the construction of CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center. Originally built to detain gang members, the massive prison has also drawn criticism for holding Venezuelan migrants (accused by the Trump administration of being gang members) deported from the United States.
Cristosal and López have been in the forefront of defending community and civil organizations, and have severely criticized the erosion of democracy in El Salvador. López has been a relentless critic of government abuses; earlier this year, the BBC identified her as one of the 100 most influential women in the world in 2024.
López, who has not yet been located by her family or colleagues, is said to be facing charges of embezzlement. Her colleagues and supporters say those are patently false accusations.
Cristosal, whose offices were visited by the police on April 28, calls the detention of López a “dangerous escalation” in the attack on civil liberties. The government actions send a clear message: challenge us at your peril. Cristosal and López’s family have good reasons for concern: last year, former government official Alejandro Muyshodt died in custody, six months after he was arbitrarily arrested. He had accused the Bukele regime of corruption and links to drug trafficking.
By May 22, 100 global and local supporting organizations had signed a petition demanding López’s release, and an end to the persecution and criminalization of human-rights defenders and organizations. Members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee expressed concern about her detention.
Cristosal said: “We affirm our commitment to continue working for truth, justice, and the defense of human rights despite the attempts to intimidate us.”
The Rev. Emilie Smith is Guest Writer on Covenant. She is parish priest of St. Barnabas Anglican Church, New Westminster, Canada, and TLC’s Latin America correspondent.
