Belén’s release from prison ordered following demonstrations across Argentina

Photos by Gerardo Dell'Oro (http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/Marchan-libertad-condenada-aborto-espontaneo_0_1630637093.html)

International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion
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18 August 2016

On 16 August, the Supreme Court of Justice of Tucumán in Argentina finally ordered that "Belén", the young woman unjustly convicted of homicide after having had a miscarriage, should be released from prison, in the face of growing criticism by dozens of feminist, human rights, political and social organizations and the UN Human Rights Committee. However, 24 hours later, she had not yet been released, according to Amnesty International, who had collected 120,000 signatures on a petition calling for her release.

The decision was announced after demonstrations on 12 August in cities across the country, convened via the hashtag #LibertadParaBelén, with the epicentre in the capital of Tucumán. Belén has been in prison since March 2014, after she attended the Hospital Avellaneda with strong stomach pains, unaware that she was pregnant, and miscarried in the hospital. Although she was initially diagnosed with the miscarriage of a 20-week pregnancy, she was then accused of homicide of a 32-week pregnancy. She was held in pre-trial detention for 2 years and then sentenced to 8 years.

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Source: International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion