Was raped by his stepfather did and gave birth to his child on a toilet. Was acquitted of attempted murder

For just over one and a half years ago gave birth to the 20-year-old Imelda Cortez from El Salvador on a toilet.

the Child was her stefars. Through the several years, already from the time she was 12 years old, had the young woman been raped by the 70-year-old his stepfather did, and was pregnant with his child. However, after the birth continued the nightmare.

the Child was not injured during the birth, but Cortez was still accused for the attempt, and risked 20 years in prison. Anklagernes argument was that she had not told anyone that she was pregnant, and that she had not sought medical help before the birth, writes The Guardian.

Monday, she was acquitted in a national court. It reports several media outlets, including Al Jazeera.

Warm welcome

According to the nyhetsnettstedet was Cortez open about the rapes already when she visited the doctor shortly after birth. She said she did not know that she was pregnant.

But the doctor did not believe in the 20-year-old, accused her of having tried to take an abortion, and reported her. A DNA test proved later that his stepfather did was child's father.

Monday was also Cortez acquitted, after the trial was delayed 17 times. Outside rettslokalene she was received by about 200 cheering supporters, writes The Guardian.

" We are extremely happy and grateful for all the support. It took an entire world to convince the judges and the prosecutors about what we have said for years: Fødselskomplikasjoner is not punishable, " says Paula Avila-Guillen told the paper. She was a part of Cortez' forsvarerteam, and the chief of the Latin american department at the New York-based Women's Equality Centre.

Total

Cortez is one of at least 25 women who have been imprisoned for abortforsøk in El Salvador since 1998, according to the Washington Post.

El Salvador is one of the few countries in the world where there is total ban on abortion - in any form.

A report from Amnesty International characterizes the practice as "institutionalised violence and torture against women". At this time of the year also went to the UN and asked the country to change the abortloven and re-examine all the cases of the imprisoned women.

Political advisor in Amnesty Norway, Patricia Kaatee, has worked with the abortion rights in central America in ten years. She said to Dagbladet in november that the case for Imelda Cortez is one of the worst she has been involved in.

- She has been deprived of basic rights, from the first moment. The judicial process has so far been characterized by the fact that she is going to prove his innocence, rather than the state to prove her guilt, " she says.

Imelda was raped by his stepfather did. Thrown in jail after giving birth to his children