No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsLatin AmericaCosta Rica files criminal complaint against same-sex couple who married due to...

Costa Rica files criminal complaint against same-sex couple who married due to clerical error

The director of Costa Rica’s Civil Registry has filed a criminal complaint alleging unlawful marriage against two women who were wed here in July because the registry mistakenly had listed one of them as a man. A complaint also was filed against the couple’s public notary, the registry official announced on Monday.

“We believe that the people [involved in the case] were aware that marriage between people of the same sex warrants a complaint to be filed,” Civil Registry Director Luis Bolaños said. “Articles of [Costa Rica’s] Penal Code could have been violated.”

Laura Florez-Estrada and Jazmín Elizondo were married on July 25 by notary Marco Castillo, who inscribed the act in the Civil Registry.

Florez-Estrada, 28, was born in Peru, has Spanish nationality and has lived in Costa Rica for six years. She is the sister of José María Villalta, a former lawmaker and 2014 presidential candidate for the Broad Front Party. Elizondo, 24, is a Costa Rican, and due to a clerical error has been listed her entire life in the Civil Registry as a man. Castillo heads the pro-LGBT rights group Movimiento Diversidad.

Gay rights Costa Rica José María Villalta
Lindsay Fendt/The Tico Times

Due to the registry error, it was the first time in Costa Rica that a same-sex marriage was formally acknowledged by the government. In a separate case, a judge had previously legally acknowledged a same-sex civil union between two men based on a youth law that prohibits discrimination.

According to Bolaños, Costa Rica’s Criminal Code calls for a prison sentence of up to six years for those convicted of unlawful marriage. He said he would ask the Government Attorney’s Office to request a judge to annul the marriage. He added that Elizondo would be notified on Monday that the Civil Registry error that lists her as a man would be corrected.

The couple, however, has vowed to legally fight those actions in order to set a legal precedent for same-sex couples in Costa Rica.

Trending Now

Back North from Costa Rica: An Expat’s Culture Shock

I am presently away from Costa Rica. I am in a foreign country. I was born here, but it is now a different place...

Costa Rican Congressman Faces Sexual Abuse Allegations from 2006

Fabricio Alvarado, a sitting congressman and presidential hopeful for the New Republic Party, now contends with a formal complaint accusing him of sexually abusing...

Guns N’ Roses Kicks Off Latin Tour in Costa Rica at National Stadium

Rock fans across the country gear up for a night of hard-hitting music as Guns N’ Roses performs at the Estadio Nacional this evening....

US Marines Head to Panama Jungle for Joint Drills

US Marines plan to join forces with Panamanian security teams for a joint exercise in the country's thick jungle next month. The move comes...

US Revokes Visa of CRHoy Owner Amid Fraud Allegations

The US government revoked the tourist and business visa of Leonel Baruch, the businessman behind Costa Rican news site CRHoy. Reports connect the move...

Compassion in Costa Rica: Tales from The Bribri and The Bridge

The book The Bribri and The Bridge: Tales from Life with the Indigenous People of Costa Rica is both a celebration and a portrait of...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica