Three Salvadoran women imprisoned after experiencing obstetric emergencies during their pregnancy and prosecuted on suspicion of abortion, have been released after many years in prison, as a result of the Central American country's strict anti-abortion laws.
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All three were serving sentences for aggravated manslaughter, and have spent six years, eight years and 13 years behind bars, said the Citizen's Association against the decriminalization of abortion in El Salvador, which announced their release on Thursday, December 23. Morena Herrera, an official of the association, told AFP that the three women "
had their sentences commuted
" without specifying how many years they had been sentenced. "
It is a joy for all of us who have fought for the release of all the women who have been wrongfully imprisoned for suffering from obstetric emergencies under this inhuman law
," added Morena Herrera.
The Salvadoran Penal Code prohibits abortion in all circumstances, even in cases of danger to the health of the mother or child, and provides for sentences of up to eight years in prison.
However, prosecutions are usually initiated for "
aggravated homicides
", punishable by up to 50 years in prison.
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“
We are free!
», Rejoiced the three women presented by their first names Karen, Kathy and Evelyn, and who demanded the release of 14 others still imprisoned in El Salvador for the same reasons.
Several human rights organizations are leading a campaign, especially on social networks with the hashtag # faltanlas17 (17 are missing, editor's note), to call on the young president, Nayib Bukele, to intercede for their release.