Manuel Gámez Morales, son of community leader, environmental defender and president of the Association for Economic and Social Development Santa Marta (ADES), Vidalina Morales, was arrested by the civil police. Vidalina had made statements on a radio station against the "terrorism" of the Salvadoran State and shared her concern for the defenders of the Santa Marta community Miguel Ángel Gámez, Alejandro Laínez García, Pedro Antonio Rivas Laínez, Antonio Pacheco and Saúl Agustín Rivas Ortega, arbitrarily detained since January 2023 and who played a key role in the campaign which resulted in ban on metals mining in the country. She also denounced that the Bukele administration seeks to exploit mining in Santa Marta despite the fact that a regulation explicitly prohibits this activity in the area.

On 3 April 2024, the court held a preliminary hearing that concluded on 10 April 2024, resulting in the court’s decision to proceed with a trial against the human rights defenders.