In retrial, El Salvador acquits woman accused of killing her stillborn child
- The Supreme Court ordered Hernandez released and retried, saying the original judge’s decision was based on prejudice and insufficient evidence
- Raped by a gang member, she said she was unaware of her pregnancy until shortly before she gave birth in April 2016
A Salvadoran court on Monday acquitted a woman accused of murder after giving birth to a stillborn baby in a case that drew international attention to the socially conservative nation’s strict abortion ban.
Evelyn Hernandez, 21, was previously convicted of intentionally inducing an abortion and had already served three years of a 30-year prison sentence.
“Thank God, justice was done,” Hernandez, in tears, told a cheering crowd outside the courthouse. “There are many women who are still locked up and I call for them to be freed soon, too.”
In February, the Supreme Court ordered Hernandez released and retried, saying that the original judge’s decision was based on prejudice and insufficient evidence.
Hernandez was raped by a gang member and said she was unaware of her pregnancy until just shortly before she gave birth to a stillborn son in April 2016.
