EL SALVADOR · HUMAN RIGHTS
A court in San Salvador has jailed a rights defender for 15 years over a fraud case that his group calls political.
A court in El Salvador sentenced human rights defender Fidel Antonio Zavala to 15 years in prison for aggravated fraud, the press office of El Salvador’s court system said on Tuesday 10 November 2026. The Third Sentencing Court of San Salvador, a trial court, found he defrauded three people of US$4,025.
Zavala works with UNIDEHC, the Unit for the Defence of Human and Community Rights, a Salvadoran human rights group, and he rejects the charge. He had filed a torture complaint against prison directors, and his group calls the case political.
Key Facts
—What. Fidel Zavala, a Salvadoran rights defender, received 15 years for aggravated fraud.
—Who. He works with UNIDEHC, a Salvadoran human rights group, and denies the charge.
—When. Sentence announced Tuesday 10 November 2026; the offences date from 2018 to 2021.
—Where. Third Sentencing Court of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador.
—Disputed. The court found he defrauded three people; his group calls the case political, not legal.
What the Court Found
The judiciary says Zavala collected money by offering false business opportunities in the foreign-exchange (forex) market. It dates the offences between November 2018 and February 2021.
The court gave five years for each of the three counts, the judiciary said on 10 November 2026. We could not find the written ruling.
Two Sides of the Case
UNIDEHC says it will appeal the sentence. It will also pursue international action.
UNIDEHC says the process has political, not legal, content. Zavala himself rejects the charge.
The judiciary holds the opposite view. Its press office says the court found he defrauded three people with false offers.
The Torture Complaint and Earlier Arrests
In 2024, Zavala filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office, the state prosecution service, against Osiris Luna, the director of prisons, and two prison directors, according to CEJIL, a Latin American rights law group. It concerned torture and abuses under the state of exception, emergency rules that suspend some rights and have applied since March 2022 under President Nayib Bukele.
He was arrested on 25 February 2025 in a wave of arrests of community leaders from La Floresta, a community in San Juan Opico, according to CEJIL. Amnesty International, a global rights group, issued Urgent Actions, its public appeals for a person at risk, on 5 March and 24 April 2025.
The second Urgent Action warned of torture risk after his transfer to a prison where guards he had accused work. More than 170 groups asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a rights body of the Organization of American States, for protective measures in March 2025, according to CEJIL.
Zavala spent 13 months in pretrial detention on an earlier charge and was declared innocent on 17 March 2023, according to CEJIL. Prosecutors later sought to reopen that case, according to Amnesty International.
Why the Verdict Matters
Cristosal, a regional human rights group, said after the verdict that it confirms the persecution and criminalisation of rights defenders. UNIDEHC calls the case political.
What It Means for You
The people most directly affected are Zavala and UNIDEHC, the group he works with. The sentence is three five-year terms for three counts totalling US$4,025.
For context, see our El Salvador news, our report on nine days with no homicides and our report on the six overseas seats. Our report on the October visit of Peru’s president adds political background.
What Is Not Known
We found no statement from prosecutors or the government, and no appeal date is set. Without the written ruling, the evidence cannot be checked.
Where Zavala is held now is unconfirmed, as is any action by the Inter-American Commission on the 2025 request. With no appeal date announced, there is no dated checkpoint to watch yet.
The appeal filing will be the next step to follow. Until the ruling is available, the court’s reasoning stays out of view.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Fidel Zavala?
Fidel Antonio Zavala is a Salvadoran human rights defender who works with UNIDEHC. The judiciary said on 10 November 2026 that a court sentenced him to 15 years for aggravated fraud.
What did the court find?
The Third Sentencing Court of San Salvador found he defrauded three people of US$4,025 in total. It gave five years for each of three counts, the judiciary said on 10 November 2026.
What does Zavala say?
Zavala rejects the charge, and UNIDEHC calls the case political, not legal. The group says it will appeal and will pursue international action.
What is the state of exception?
It is a set of emergency rules that suspend some rights in El Salvador. The country has been governed under it since March 2022, under President Nayib Bukele.
Sources: Amnesty International Urgent Action UA 20/25, 5 March 2025; CEJIL press release, 14 March 2025; Amnesty International, news release on his transfer, April 2025; Salvadoran judiciary press office (the courts’ communications service), statement of 10 November 2026.
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