First Femicide Trial in
Guatemala
Guatemala - Calixto Simon Cun, accused of physical aggression
against his wife, will be the first Guatemalan citizen to be tried
according to the Law against Femicide and Other Forms of Violence
against Women.
The trial will begin on Tuesday at the Seventh Criminal Court in
Guatemala City, and the defendant might be sentenced to 12 years in
prison, according to Women Attorney's Office chief Yolanda Sandoval.
On June 2, 2008, Simon Cun was arrested on the street as he was
beating his wife, 34-year-old Vilma Angelica de la Cruz
As a result of the beating, his wife suffers from a knee injury and
back problems.
Women's leader Andrea Barrios said the trial lays the foundation in
the fight against escalating violence against women.
Last year alone, 722 women were murdered and, according to the
investigations, many of the murders were preceded by physical
violence at home.
Fundacion Sobrevivientes (Foundation Survivors) Director Norma Cruzn
said that about ten cases might be tried this year, a small amount
compared to the number of women who have been killed as a result of
gender violence.
In April 2008, the Guatemalan Parliament approved the law, which
establishes 25-50-year prison terms for femicide charges and 5-12
years in jail for sexual, physical or psychological violence.
However, the first trial under that law will take place ten months
after approval of the legislation.
Guatemala has one of the world's highest rates of violence against
women, reporting 4,000 such crimes since 2000. |
|
|
|
|
|
