EL SALVADOR：
‘GUADALUPE’ PARDONED BY LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

“Guadalupe”, one of the group of 17 Salvadoran women jailed for pregnancy-related offences after unfair trials was pardoned by the Legislative Assembly in a very close vote.

On 21 January the Legislative Assembly took a re-vote on “Guadalupe’s” request for a pardon, which had initially been denied on 16 January. Her case received the necessary 43 votes in favour out of 84 Assembly members, and a pardon was issued.

In 2007 “Guadalupe” was sentenced to 30 years in prison after suffering a miscarriage. She was only 18 years old at the time. She was accused of having an abortion, outlawed in any circumstance in El Salvador, and later charged with aggravated homicide. “Guadalupe’s” pardon is the first for ‘the 17’ women jailed for pregnancy-related complications and the first in the context of the country’s full criminalization of women’s sexual and reproductive choices.

Urgent appeals sent to members of the Assembly by Amnesty International activists and other activists in El Salvador and internationally helped put pressure on the government to rectify the wrongs committed against “Guadalupe”. Amnesty International will continue monitoring the case of the other 16 and all other women and girls in El Salvador.

No further action is required of the UA network. Amnesty International will continue to monitor the cases of the remaining 16 women and request further action as necessary. Many thanks to all who sent appeals.

This is the first update of UA 14/15. Further information: www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR29/001/2015/en.

Name: “Guadalupe”

Gender m/f: f

Further information on UA: 14/15 Index: AMR 29/002/2015 Issue Date: 23 January 2015