EL SALVADOR: The OIAD calls for guarantees of protection for lawyer Roxana Cardona following new acts of police harassment
19 October 2026
The OIAD is concerned about the new acts of police harassment reported by lawyer and human rights defender Roxana Cardona Ardón, founder and director of the local organisation Justicia Social y Contraloría Ciudadana, and calls on the Salvadoran authorities to guarantee her safety and her physical and psychological well-being.
Roxana Cardona Ardón has played an active role in providing legal support to people deprived of their liberty and in denouncing human rights violations committed in the context of the state of emergency in El Salvador. She has also been actively involved in the public debate on the legal and social consequences of the government’s security strategy, challenging restrictions on the guarantees of due process, the presumption of innocence and the right of detainees to an effective defence.
According to the information received, on 12 October 2026, two officers from the National Civil Police (PNC) arrived at her home, asked her for her unique identity card (DUI), recorded her details in an institutional system and photographed her home, without providing a clear explanation as to the purpose of these actions[1]. After publicly denouncing these events, Roxana Cardona received a message from a police officer telling her that her superiors were unhappy with her. The lawyer fears that these events may be linked to her recent posts criticising the authorities.
These incidents are part of a pattern of harassment that the lawyer has been denouncing since 2024, which includes a police presence outside her home, a complaint of domestic violence that she considers unfounded, and further episodes of intimidation in May 2025. Fearing for her safety, the lawyer has temporarily left the country. Upon her return, the acts of harassment are reported to have resumed. In addition to harassment and intimidation, the lawyer has reported her social media accounts being blocked and attempts to gain unauthorised access to them.
The OIAD emphasises that these events give rise to particular concern in the context of the criminalisation of human rights defenders and legal professionals in El Salvador. It also expresses concern about the risk of further reprisals, including possible arbitrary detention, and about the impact this situation could have on Roxana Cardona’s health.
The OIAD recalls that Principles 16 and 23 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers stipulate that lawyers must be able to practise their profession free from intimidation, harassment or undue interference, and to express themselves freely on matters of justice and human rights without suffering reprisals as a result.
Considering these facts, the OIAD calls on that the Salvadoran authorities to:
- Conduct an independent and impartial investigation into the reasons behind the recent police visit to Roxana Cardona’s home and into the incidents of harassment reported since 2024. It also urges the Office of the Public Prosecutor for the Defence of Human Rights to examine the facts, monitor the case and promote the necessary protective measures, within the scope of its remit.
- Guarantee the physical and psychological safety of Roxana Cardona and her family by adopting measures to prevent further acts of intimidation or reprisals.
- Guarantee the free and independent exercise of her profession and her work in defence of human rights.
The OIAD calls on the international community to give urgent attention to Roxana Cardona’s situation and urges the Salvadoran authorities to guarantee her protection and respect for her fundamental rights.
[1] Press release, 12 October 2026. Regional Rights Observatory:
https://protect-lawyers.org/wp-content/uploads/Acto-de-intimidacion-policial-contra-la-abogada-salvadorena.pdf
