Ruth López, a constitutional lawyer and educator who has devoted her life to defending the fundamental rights of Salvadorans and advancing public transparency, will receive the American Bar Association 2025 International Human Rights Award.
The award recognizes?“exceptional achievements by an individual or organization as a champion and/or defender of human rights outside the United States, consistent with international human rights law.” The nominee’s contributions should demonstrate leadership, dedication, courage and perseverance in advancing human rights.
López has made extraordinary contributions to anti-corruption efforts, democratic accountability and human rights law in El Salvador. In May, she was arbitrarily detained, and on June 4, 2025, a judicial ruling confirmed her provisional detention for six months, underscoring the grave risks she faces for defending the rule of law. She currently leads the Anti-Corruption and Justice Unit at Cristosal, a regional human rights organization working across El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. In this role, she has led legal actions against powerful institutions, including challenges to laws shielding public funds from scrutiny, investigations into emergency spending during the COVID-19 pandemic and legal filings against the Chivo Wallet and Bitcoin implementation. She has also provided legal support to the families of Venezuelan immigrants imprisoned in El Salvador after being deported from the United States.
Her expertise has helped her expose corruption, ghost payrolls and political party violations of fiscal transparency rules. López has been a vocal critic of the state of exception, which has led to more than 85,000 arbitrary detentions. She has publicly denounced abuses, advocated for detainees’ rights and documented the impact of repression on forced migration. She has represented Salvadoran organizations before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and was named one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women in the World in 2024.
“We are honored to have selected attorney Ruth López, from a list of exceptionally strong nominations this year, in recognition of her courageous defense of democracy and the rule of law and for her tireless efforts to advance transparency and human rights in El Salvador,” said Tiffany Williams Brewer, chair of the selection committee for the 2025 ABA International Human Rights Award and incoming chair of the ABA Litigation Section. “Ms. López ‘s courage personifies true heroism and inspires lawyers throughout the world to stay vigilant in advancing the rule of law.”
The award is presented annually on behalf of the ABA Center for Global Programs, Center for Human Rights; Rule of Law Initiative; Civil Rights and Social Justice Section; International Law Section; and Litigation Section).
The award will be presented at a dinner honoring international guests on Thursday, Aug. 7, during the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association in Toronto. Louis Benavides, López’s husband, and Noah Bullock, Cristosal executive director, plan to attend to accept on her behalf.
The 2024 award was given to Felix Agbor Nkongho, founder and president of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa in Cameroon.
The award recognizes?“exceptional achievements by an individual or organization as a champion and/or defender of human rights outside the United States, consistent with international human rights law.” The nominee’s contributions should demonstrate leadership, dedication, courage and perseverance in advancing human rights.
López has made extraordinary contributions to anti-corruption efforts, democratic accountability and human rights law in El Salvador. In May, she was arbitrarily detained, and on June 4, 2025, a judicial ruling confirmed her provisional detention for six months, underscoring the grave risks she faces for defending the rule of law. She currently leads the Anti-Corruption and Justice Unit at Cristosal, a regional human rights organization working across El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. In this role, she has led legal actions against powerful institutions, including challenges to laws shielding public funds from scrutiny, investigations into emergency spending during the COVID-19 pandemic and legal filings against the Chivo Wallet and Bitcoin implementation. She has also provided legal support to the families of Venezuelan immigrants imprisoned in El Salvador after being deported from the United States.
Her expertise has helped her expose corruption, ghost payrolls and political party violations of fiscal transparency rules. López has been a vocal critic of the state of exception, which has led to more than 85,000 arbitrary detentions. She has publicly denounced abuses, advocated for detainees’ rights and documented the impact of repression on forced migration. She has represented Salvadoran organizations before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and was named one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women in the World in 2024.
“We are honored to have selected attorney Ruth López, from a list of exceptionally strong nominations this year, in recognition of her courageous defense of democracy and the rule of law and for her tireless efforts to advance transparency and human rights in El Salvador,” said Tiffany Williams Brewer, chair of the selection committee for the 2025 ABA International Human Rights Award and incoming chair of the ABA Litigation Section. “Ms. López ‘s courage personifies true heroism and inspires lawyers throughout the world to stay vigilant in advancing the rule of law.”
The award is presented annually on behalf of the ABA Center for Global Programs, Center for Human Rights; Rule of Law Initiative; Civil Rights and Social Justice Section; International Law Section; and Litigation Section).
The award will be presented at a dinner honoring international guests on Thursday, Aug. 7, during the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association in Toronto. Louis Benavides, López’s husband, and Noah Bullock, Cristosal executive director, plan to attend to accept on her behalf.
The 2024 award was given to Felix Agbor Nkongho, founder and president of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa in Cameroon.
