EL SALVADOR: DEFENDER IN PROLONGED PRE-TRIAL DETENTION

Dear General Attorney,

I am writing to express my concern about the continued pre-trial detention of human rights defender Fidel Zavala, spokesperson for the Unidad de Defensa de Derechos Humanos y Comunitarios (UNIDEHC). Mr Zavala has been held in pre-trial detention since February 25, 2025, after supporting the community of La Floresta against forced eviction.

The investigation phase has been extended until March 2026, prolonging his detention despite the exceptional nature of pre-trial detention under international human rights law and the presumption of innocence. There is a risk that further extensions could keep him in detention without conviction.

I am also concerned about reports regarding prison conditions and the regime to which Mr. Zavala may be subjected. Prolonged detention in restrictive conditions could seriously affect his physical and mental health and undermine his right to humane treatment.

Given his role as a human rights defender and his prior public denunciations of alleged torture and deaths in custody, I am concerned that his prosecution and prolonged detention may amount to retaliation for his legitimate human rights work and may have a chilling effect on other human rights defenders in El Salvador.

I respectfully call on you, as Attorney General, to immediately refrain from seeking further extensions of the investigation period and to urgently review the necessity and proportionality of Mr. Zavala’s continued pre-trial detention.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]