IRTF News

IRTF is among the many organizations committed to human rights across the Americas urging the release of political prisoner Ruth López in El Salvador. May 18 marks one year since she was arrested at home in her pajamas on a Sunday at 9:30pm with the bogus charge of embezzlement. Ruth had been serving as lead human rights attorney for the organization Cristosal. 

Despite Ruth’s request for a public trial, the Salvadoran government continues to pursue non-public proceedings, raising serious concerns about due process, transparency, and the protection of fundamental rights.

TAKE ACTION to demand the release of human rights lawyer Ruth López.

(1) Use the campaign toolkit to share Ruth’s story with social media graphics, sample posts, scripts to contact legislators. Click here.

(2) Repost and share campaign posts: Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook.  #FreeRuth

(3) Circulate reports, interviews, statements, and stories about Ruth.

(4) Tell Congress to support legislation to condition US police/military aid to El Salvador on human rights improvements and request a US State Department briefing on efforts to secure the freedom of Ruth López.  Click here

This article by El Pais examines the incarceration of Luis Pacheco and Héctor Chaclán, representatives of 48 Cantons of Totonicapán, which is one of the strongest organizations of the Indigenous movement in Guatemala. They are political prisoners, detained on false charges of terrorism. 

In Pt. 4 of her report on Immigration Jails in Ohio Lynn Tramonte examines: 

• The Timeline of ACLU and Immigrant Resistance against immigration Jails in Ohio 
• How Columbus Responded: #ICEOutOfCbus

to read the report here

To expand its gold mining operations in Copán Department, MINOSA (a Honduran subsidiary of US-based Aura Minerals) began deforestation of the Cerro Los Hornillos mountain, a site of sacred and historical significance to the local Maya Chortí Indigenous community, in July 2025. Community members questioned the authority under which the company was operating and denounced MINOSA for failing to consult affected peoples prior to initiating work in the area. They expressed concern that the destruction of Cerro Los Hornillos could affect the geological integrity of the mountain area and vital waterways.   So to protect the well-being of the environmental and the health of the community, in September 2025  residents installed a peaceful encampment at the foot of the mountain to block any expansion of gold mining into the Cerro Los Hornillos.

The corporation has the office of the public prosecutor and other state law enforcement on its side. On February 12, to help MINOSA expand its mining operations (even though it did not have express permission from neither the Secretariat of Natural Resources and Environment nor the Honduras Institute for Geology and Mining), the Honduran military arrived at Cerro Los Hornillos to assist MINOSA in its deforestation by holding back the encampment of environmental defenders.  On February 24, six encampment defenders had to appear at a court arraignment on charges of usurpation (illegal trespass/occupation). On May 5, they would appear in court again as a judge determines whether the public prosecutor has enough evidence to move the case forward.

Despite the severe social and environmental risks that this project poses, MINOSA is moving towards exploitation without any sign of institutional oversight.

In Part Two of her report on Immigration Jails in Ohio, Lynn Tramonte of Ohio Immigrant Alliance examines questions such as:

• How does ICE's actions resemble the tactics of criminals?
• How are we supposed to respond to our law enforcement being virtually indistinguishable to the perpetrators?
• How is it that many of the enlisted agents have questionable criminal histories? 

to read the report click here

In Part One of her report on Immigration Jails in Ohio Lynn Tramonte examines questions such as:

• Why do Immigration Jails exist?
• In what ways do they enable the mass deportation that is occuring?
• What is the role of counties and municipalities in this ? 

to read entire report click here

Audio recordings published by Spain’s Canal RED suggest that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are allegedly working to facilitate the return of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez to power. The media outlet published alleged audio recordings in which Hernandez, current President Nasry Asfura and a group of Honduran officials are heard discussing in detail a supposed operation driven by the US and financed by Israel to weave a network of corruption in Honduras, with the aim of turning the Central American country into a US investment hub.

A federal appeals court today ruled that President Trump’s Day 1 proclamation aimed at completely shutting down asylum at the border is unlawful. The panel of judges rejected the administration's claim that the president could use emergency authority to block asylum seekers from even applying for protection. 

World leaders, civil society, and frontline movements are gathering in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the first ever global conference focused specifically on transitioning away from fossil fuels, a major shift in climate diplomacy. 

Since September 2025, the U.S. armed forces have killed more than 175 people aboard small boats in operations that the Trump administration characterizes as attacks against “narco-terrorists.” The newly formed Shield of the Americas coalition brings together 17 states, including Argentina, Costa Rica, and Paraguay, in a U.S.-led effort to coordinate military pressure against the cartels — a move that critics fear will further institutionalize these extrajudicial killings.

A new international outcry—a  global coalition of 125 organizations issuing an urgent public appeal to all states to immediately cease all forms of support for US extrajudicial killings—underscores a shift from directly condemning U.S. actions to also holding third-party countries accountable for their role in these deadly attacks.