No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeLatin AmericaCentral AmericaEl Salvador acquits woman charged with murder over premature birth

El Salvador acquits woman charged with murder over premature birth

A judge in El Salvador on Monday acquitted a 20-year-old rape victim originally charged with murder after giving birth prematurely in a toilet.

Imelda Cortez’s daughter survived but the woman was charged homicide after the baby was found in a septic tank.

It was seen as a landmark case by women’s rights groups in El Salvador, where abortion is completely banned and women can face up to 40 years in prison, even for a miscarriage.

A court in the southeastern city of Usulutan “absolved” Cortez, her defense lawyer Bertha Maria Deleon wrote on Twitter.

A spokesman from the La Casa de Todas feminist group confirmed to AFP that Cortez was “free.”

Cortez fell pregnant to her stepfather, who allegedly raped her repeatedly over a seven-year period.

She has already spent more than a year and a half behind bars awaiting trial.

The case took a dramatic turn when prosecutors changed the charge against her from homicide to “abandonment and neglect.”

“We know that Imelda didn’t commit any crime,” one of Cortez’s lawyers, Keyla Caceres told AFP earlier.

The premature birth was discovered after Cortez sought hospital treatment in April 2017 for a hemorrhage.

Doctors examining her took out the placenta.

Cortez said she’d felt something come out of her when using the bathroom.

Police and soldiers inspected the septic tank at Cortez’s house and found a crying baby “covered in feces and white dust,” according to legal authorities.

The baby was taken to hospital and survived.

El Salvador has some of the toughest anti-abortion laws in the world, banning the process even in cases of rape or when a mother’s life is at risk.

Caceres said Cortez was representative of “girls and young adolescents whose human rights are completely violated” by the country’s unforgiving abortion laws.


Thanks for reading The Tico Times. We strive to keep you up to date about everything that’s been happening in Costa Rica. We work hard to keep our reporting independent and groundbreaking, but we need your help. The Tico Times is partly funded by you and every little bit helps. If all our readers chipped in a buck a month we’d be set for years.

Support the Tico Times

Trending Now

Costa Rica Identified as Transit Point in Sinaloa Cartel Drug Network

Ovidio Guzman, the son of drug trafficker "El Chapo," admitted to U.S. justice that Costa Rica was used by the Sinaloa Cartel as a...

Flying Around Costa Rica is Easier Than Ever Thanks to Sansa Airlines

The airline recently added two new aircraft to its fleet, bringing their total to twelve. That increase allows SANSA to boost service to smaller...

Meet the Bats of Costa Rica from Tent Makers to Fish Hunters

Costa Rica is home to around 220 species of non-marine mammals. Roughly half of those species, 117 is the current number, are the type...

Costa Rica’s Olympic Hero Claudia Poll Alleges Abuse by Famed Swim Coach

Claudia Poll, Costa Rica's only Olympic gold medalist, and two other former swimmers from the country, alleged on Monday that they suffered psychological, physical,...

Costa Rica’s Tourism Faces Decline Amid Rising Crime and Costs

Costa Rica’s flagship tourism industry, long a cornerstone of our nation’s economy, is dealing with a noticeable downturn in 2025 as rising crime, health...

Rural Costa Rica Adopts Ecosystem-Based Approach to Climate Resilience

As climate change intensifies, rural communities across Costa Rica are taking concrete steps to reduce risks and adapt to increasing climate pressures. With support...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
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