El Salvador court hands down first life sentence for femicide

A court in El Salvador has sentenced a 39-year-old man to life in prison for aggravated femicide, a statement from the prosecutor's office said.

It marks the first time in the country's history that a life sentence has been imposed for femicide. 

"Just 42 days after the crime, the Attorney General's Office of the Republic of El Salvador (FGR) obtained a life sentence for aggravated femicide," authorities announced in a post on X.

The defendant was found guilty of stabbing his neighbor to death in the western city of Santa Ana in August. According to prosecutors, Eduardo had been "constantly harassing the victim" before the attack.

The landmark conviction follows a number of recent legal reforms promoted by the country's right-wing president, Nayib Bukele.

Bukele's tough-on-crime policies

In April, El Salvador's legislature approved reforms allowing life imprisonment for severe crimes, including homicide, rape, femicide, and terrorism. Previously, the maximum prison sentence was 60 years, with the possibility of reductions for good behavior.

The reform is part of President Bukele's broader strategy to combat crime and insecurity. In 2023, Bukele inaugurated the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a mega-prison that has been widely criticized by human rights organizations.

Bukele governs under a state of emergency, and his war on gangs has led to the imprisonment of more than 90,000 people while significantly reducing crime and homicide rates. However, UN experts and NGOs have raised concerns about human rights violations, including crimes against humanity, amid the crackdown. 

A longstanding problem

El Salvador has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world. In the 2010s, the rate of killings frequently exceeded  12 femicides per 100,000 women. In 2016 alone, more than 500 women were killed. 

According to feminist organizations, COVID-19 lockdowns worsened the situation by exposing more women to domestic violence and limiting access to support services.

Edited by: Natalie Muller

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