December, 14 2017, 10:30am EDT
El Salvador: Failure to Release Woman Jailed After Miscarriage, Outrageous Step Backward For Justice
A court's decision not to release a woman forced to spend a decade behind bars after having a miscarriage in El Salvador is an outrageous step backward for justice, Amnesty International said.
Teodora suffered a stillbirth in 2007, after the rapid onset of serious pain while she was at work. Police arrested her as she lay in a pool of blood. She was later sentenced to 30 years for 'aggravated homicide' under El Salvador's total ban on abortions.
The trial was marred by irregularities.
WASHINGTON
A court's decision not to release a woman forced to spend a decade behind bars after having a miscarriage in El Salvador is an outrageous step backward for justice, Amnesty International said.
Teodora suffered a stillbirth in 2007, after the rapid onset of serious pain while she was at work. Police arrested her as she lay in a pool of blood. She was later sentenced to 30 years for 'aggravated homicide' under El Salvador's total ban on abortions.
The trial was marred by irregularities.
"Teodora's tragic story is a sad illustration of everything that is wrong with the justice system in El Salvador, where human rights seem to be a foreign concept," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
"Instead of punishing Teodora for being a woman, authorities in El Salvador must urgently take a hard look at their outrageous anti-abortion law and take immediate steps to repeal it."
This statement can be found online at https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/el-salvador-failure-to-release-woman-jailed-after-miscarriage-outrageous-step-backward-for-justice/
Amnesty International is a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Our supporters are outraged by human rights abuses but inspired by hope for a better world - so we work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity. We have more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues.
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