Woman who was jailed for 30 YEARS for ‘homicide’ after suffering a miscarriage is released after serving a decade behind bars in El Salvador
- Elsy, 38, suffered a miscarriage in June 2011 and was immediately arrested
- She has been released after a campaign by celebrities including Milla Jovovich
- Abortion is illegal under any circumstances in the Central American country
A woman who was given a 30-year jail sentence for ‘aggravated homicide’ after suffering a miscarriage in El Salvador has been freed.
Elsy, 38, served 10 years of her sentence after she reported an obstetric emergency in 2011 in the Central American country where abortion is banned.
The mother was working as a domestic worker at the time and was immediately arrested and shortly after charged with aggravated homicide.
A woman who was given a 30-year jail sentence for ‘aggravated homicide’ after suffering a miscarriage in El Salvador has been freed (pictured)
Salvadoran authorities did not respond to a request for comment or confirm the release. Reuters was unable to independently verify the details of the case.
The Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion in El Salvador, which released a photo that it said depicted Elsy after her release from jail, said her original court case was full of irregularities and without presumption of innocence.
‘We celebrate Elsy’s release after 10 years. Her erroneous 30-year sentence for aggravated homicide is over.
‘We must continue to fight tirelessly to free those who remain deprived of liberty,’ said the group’s president, Morena Herrera, in a statement.
‘(Elsy) was separated from her son, who only had her. Now, more than 10 years later, she will be able to reunite with him and her family,’ the organization added.
A campaign by celebrities including Kathryn Hahn (pictured) has called on Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to free 17 women who were imprisoned after suffering miscarriages
Over the last 20 years El Salvador, which has banned abortion under all circumstances, including cases of rape and incest and when the woman’s health is in danger, has criminally prosecuted some 181 women who suffered obstetric emergencies.
Since 2009, 61 of them have been released, according to the feminist organisation.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in November that El Salvador had violated the rights of a woman identified as Manuela who was sent to prison for breaching the abortion laws and died while serving her 30-year sentence.
Last December, as part of a campaign called ‘Free the 17,’ celebrities including America Ferrera, Milla Jovovich and Kathryn Hahn called on Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to free 17 women who were imprisoned after suffering miscarriages and other obstetric emergencies.
Since the launch of the campaign, five of those women have been freed, including Elsy, said the rights group.
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