El Salvador: Court fails to release woman unfairly jailed after suffering a stillbirth
| Publisher | Amnesty International |
| Publication Date | 8 December 2017 |
| Cite as | Amnesty International, El Salvador: Court fails to release woman unfairly jailed after suffering a stillbirth, 8 December 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a2fa7304.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A court's decision to postpone the hearing of a woman forced to spend a decade behind bars after having a stillbirth in El Salvador is an outrageous and careless act, Amnesty International said.
"Teodora has waited 10 years to be before the court that sent her to prison for a stillbirth in 2007, but the judges were not ready to make the decision to undo this utter injustice," 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."
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 abortion.
Her case was reviewed by the court today, but it decided to postpone the decision until Wednesday, December 13.
