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tv   Convicted of Murder  Deutsche Welle  March 5, 2023 3:15am-4:01am CET

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on the entry ah, my name is theodora de common vasquez. i'm 34 years old. i've been in prison for 10 years and 6 months with a abortion is a crime. thanks to constitution. and salvador is still one of the few countries
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that benz abortions in all cases for the field on human rights organizations take advantage of women's lack of education and through forced propaganda and wise, they make them murderers of their unborn daughters and sons. it's a cruel act. it's a barbaric act. ah
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it, i said, i mean it was the 13th of july, 2007. you had any, any damage? i was 9 months pregnant. i was working in central san salvador in la la and the pain was unbearable. again, my thing is when i started making calls, even though they elena said, my baby is about to be born. i said, the mother, i can't stand the pain. come help me. does that for the family of the police said they would come aid, but they never did lawyer that needed to look at my baby was born there and then germany i fainted for
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it's like it when i woke up and i tried to get help with going to my dad, why did you kill her? a man asked me to come on. i haven't killed any one. i sadly applicant. you said yes, you killed your daughter. now you have to pay them and i kept passing out and got it. okay, i just remember waking up and then fainting again. i would be in my bathroom when i was almost dead it and those as i've been imprisoned, ever side of the metal they hadn't 1st, they said it was an abortion. it, what did they changed it to aggravated homicide. they sentenced me to 30 years. ah, when the summer when the door opened,
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i didn't want to look inside. don't look at any event but an into none. acadia. i didn't want to talk to anyone. okay, can i, i didn't want any one talking to me that he had an enemy with me. i wanted my baby, but i'd already bought clothes for her. best having i was so excited. they're me sitting missy women sleep on the floor at 1st. get out and slept on the floor for 7 months when i had i used to lie there crying now and that by staring at the wall, wondering would i be able to leave the plant and when the truth would come out, you're the head decker. did it again, i was afraid that i would never get out again. i thought i won't survive. i'm going to die here. money. hey, in
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a momento the load is. yep. all really good. the hearing in january 2018. i didn't have a lawyer to defend me. my parents had given a lawyer, $700.00 to take my case because nobody i me but he demanded that they give him land cattle, a house and a car. my limit here on my been on that army. my parents asked me if they should give him the house, but i couldn't leave them on the street. barry, nobody had a headline, a guy. so i decided not to have a lawyer. this is yana can mother that i will that i preferred to stay in prison longer. maybe if it meant my parents and my son would still have a place to live, you can me by that is needed to be an adult living.
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i don't know how the years went by and my son grew up without me. me were going to sandra. saw me bad, but my parents were always worried because they didn't have money to visit me. i was 20 when anela was born. when dad, when he was 3 years old, i got pregnant again to me and may i must when i was very excited because i wanted to have 2 children. and okay, makeeta is that what i want most just to be with anal gabrielle? it element, but i missed the best of his childhood. no. am i love him more than ever makin okay . i loved him from the day he was born and will love him until the day i die. i
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don't get back. they disappeared. having an abortion goes against their nature against their maternal instinct against their own interests. after an abortion women suffer clinical depression, but this kind of depression is abhorrent. these women have killed girls and boys who have the right to live on. the other one might any more had more than 3000 women live in the prison and they're gonna, they don't even have a bed or a blanket to sleep under. and i yeah, there is no running water to the fact that the food is terrible. so i mean, there are only 6 toilets for all these women. do they
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am, would you go by? yeah, i met many other inmates and never realized they were in prison on similar charges . i thought i was alone, pakistanis one, but i wasn't they don't know if you know the mom we realized there were many women accused of the same crime in 88 and we'll have we were already friends, but we hadn't talked about our cases damage political to pass him on them and he had and think that when they said 30 years, my 1st thought was no criminal cup by something. i've lost everything yet, but i've been a fellow innocent. i haven't seen my daughter since i've been here, but the thing was that i, i don't know how she's doing. i know nothing doing . i was young. i had a fight with the father of my 1st daughter, and i mean, she was 9 years old man and woman. i was 4 months pregnant with them. and when they hit me and the baby died, i started bleeding
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a lot. my daughter saw me bleeding less than that. i just remember that i was given an injection in the hospital and they put me on a bed that but that's all that i must. when i said that i woke up around 7 in the evening. i was handcuffed many and they told me not to ask questions and to stay where i was. and i was alone in a room by indiana on the day of my hearing, there was no evidence against me. they only the testimony of one witness and the dna test gave them a lamp, went out in who was the witness? my daughter's father, who did you? yes, it and you couldn't go no better since the prosecutor was on their side. they didn't allow lawyer to speak. minnie, i don't believe they didn't allow my father to speak rather men in a i don't. he was my only witness. and i mean, it's like that on up a lot of me. but i've been here for almost 11 years and they sentenced me to 30 but what happened to you met with i was accused of aggravated homicide.
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yes, diana and i was at the hospital a felon. then i all squire was handcuffed ab border with you. they said i was charged with murder telling me that i had killed my own dorsal mickey. i i was sure she no, no, no, no, you won't. i fell down. it was an accident. i had been along, i honest about my daughter, a living me ha, they didn't let me see her a moment at the same thing. and i said on the day, mary, you don't get. they asked me why i did it. what carrier? i didn't understand what was happening in anthony because i hadn't b o s e and he said, but you did it. the doctors blame you have doctors called the police law the
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thought anyway, but okay. yeah. not on the lab there. i didn't understand name, they didn't give me an explanation. they took me to the police station. i believe i was there for about 8 days. how much then they brought me here. name if i hadn't been going on in any one of my daughters is 15 years old than the other is 12. i got pregnant after being raped by 3 men and i'm one of them was my brother. he went to me my phone after my mother died, i lost my baby 20 days later i was arrested during my baby's funeral. i think i'm in the indiana. yeah. and whether one or policemen were standing at the door of the church and i asked them, why are you looking for me? and they said my name am and i said yes,
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that's me. santa they said you're under arrest for murder. i asked, why am i didn't kill anyone? they took my baby's body out of the coffin and threw it in the back of the pickup truck. they took my baby and they took me to now and i know i left my 2 daughters behind me. my. my parents were no longer there to take care of them. he didn't want to leave them, was my brother, the one who had hurt me? my brother and his friends have their families, while my daughters are suffering from media and sam nantucket, and they're having a hard time on their own. and i'm suffering without them. he also is now life has been really hard on me in that regard. what i mean, i've been in this epic. yes he has. he started, i thought so if i'm the only one,
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maybe they just got it wrong or maybe they just made a mistake. try to thank god it was to find out yet when i learned that there were more of us, i got very angry, think it would be when and because it means that el salvador sees women as property, haven't yeah, no, that i'm well, you know, 2nd, because that's the end of the dilemma that is their bed dentist have these laws allow them to rule over us and the less you get involved in that stuff in the sunday. the put out. but we cannot allow women to continue to be imprisoned for pregnancy emergencies. and not do anything about this situation. we're in that i began direction to help with that will be, man you seem has we've heard strong relationships. we've decided to unite and defend ourselves as a mentor. think about it, but lawyers with the citizens group for the d. criminalization of abortion came in 2012. and i'm glad you called us the 17. i stammered the boys to have. we agreed that they would take on our cases. and that the 1st of us to come out of prison by
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whatever means it would be the 1st to denounce the conditions inside the prison, yet on a special for family. and eventually it has a momento care. the ambassadors told us they needed a spokesperson to represent us when the girls chose me for, for a william. but that's how it all started. these days are special for each one of us. we know we are in prison, but we have our spiritual freedom. see dear alba and yell thrash, delora. and she said about the order said go ahead. this is we started with 17 women. now there are more of the since 2009. we have identified a 129 cases, gamble hand if you go
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to the 3rd. but then in addition to political, lobbying mobilization and campaigning, know the citizens group has a legal team. duck, follow up on cases, payment dash ester has cases on, not just one in the courtroom. they are one in the streets, in an armoire, a guy, he would go to the a, the f m l in party presented a penal code reform to decriminalize abortion affordable that to save the lives. so they don't dine these conditions on as well. i'm president of the legislative assembly lorina pena presented the bill alongside women's groups of wisdom. garcia, bro, brother, one of your last you, when, if the result of rape when the mother's life is at risk when it's a result of human trafficking, and when the case involves a minor gondo castle, so that they may not as they are though the medicine or this seems to contradict
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the 2nd article of the constitution enshrining the right to life of every person. you know, that a jewel of either i believe, but as soon as they faced with pressure from social organizations to decriminalize abortion, the catholic church objected to these measures. i think has to be archbishop, called on the legislature, not to change the penal code while on. yes. as well. if you got your message, i'll go the go button. if the some of them won't get out. because if we are democratic, look at the percentages for them, that quint of the members of the legislator will see that if they vote utilize abortion, they will be going against a vast majority of the population. the seal, which is christian, collect also on the constitution says that life begins at the moment of conception . so i don't see why abortion should be judged less severely than aggravated homicide alone. i'll come gallantly because from the changing the charges violates due process. they're trying to impose longer sentences. abortion carries a sentence of 2 to 8 years in philadelphia. lasagna, blah harris, the glass in the middle, or upper class women who have more money. you have 2 options, and in dob,
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either they go to a private clinic and pay over $1000.00 for an abortion, or they go abroad for the procedure. what i mean by isa don de larry, elise hung out our cars will begin with that. are murder is now considered a human right and it will my mother's right allow that. this is an ideological relativism that for me, as a politician, it is an ideological up front to the west america and its citizens, the gold that america contrast. this is the largest genocide in human history, much greater than the one carried out during the 2nd world war one by a little. but again of him cannot only felony harker states, he has not reviewed cases of miscarriages that have led to women's imprisonment by men. and casala, when it comes to miscarriages. no woman is being persecuted for having a miscarriage older platform. thaniel. no woman should go to jail for having an abortion. ah
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for conflict of what i understand, unless enough, if i was contacted by amnesty international about taking this case will bundle solomon and now exclusively handle cases like this? since i left, i believe it is essential for justice giving sierra way on the charge against her. dora was aggravated homicide at yahoo! major contradictions here. select itala one up as so another thing that is the killing of a newborn think they are 30 to 40 weeks gestation, female. feminine who was born alive, but died of parent natal, asphyxia. they've either one of fix upgrade enough done. he signs of a 6 year by drowning were found. she in love with it. you born died of parent a to las fix year. not that she could not have died by drowning. so things are mutually exclusive. don't parent aid to las, fix it as a natural cause of death. they're not. well, it can not be one on the other at the same time,
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because i mean with them. i don't think the judges even read the autopsy yet. i love talk to you by the lee alyssa in that go when i read tale dora's file, which is very extensive, that i must admit, i thought this woman is guilty by the file intentionally leads you to believe that she is guilty. let rack with the epic one, but when you sit down and read it more carefully, he wonder, ma'am, and how is it possible that a woman who wants to have an abortion yet and calls the police 5 times to ask them for help? yeah, i is for them in that law, he guided the medical evidence as conclusive them if she had a pre term bertha placental abrupt sion with heavy bleeding and lost consciousness . the system for medical history is consistent with the information she provided am . and if yes, the sam at i thought i was 9 months pregnant and i was robbed when i was on my way to san salvador. with my sick mother, anthony m. we f m. i was robbed on the bus,
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isn't that on any of the man tried to steal my phone and jumped towards me on my landing right on my belly. diana mingle style elizabeth, living alone in a blow to the abdomen and the final trimester can cause placental abrupt sion, which was probably the case with to your dora. because when the baby came, the placenta came with it going on both and because of the injury to the abdomen. this is the most logical conclusion to her. but to your dora, like many others was stigmatized and convicted without evidence. though. okay, if you provoke or instigate in abortion, that is if you give the patient the idea or assist her in any way, you also go to prison and i for 2 to 5 years. and that's why health care workers report everything to the police, if miscarriages, or still births. they report any kind of termination of pregnancy inherently, this is massaging, stigmatization, and persecution for being
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a woman. no case that but if a woman has a miscarriage, the 1st thing people think is that it was intentional or fed. when a woman becomes pregnant, she loses all her rights and automatically becomes an incubator. think on all the rights are violated, starting with a right to life. then the little, i mean, ah stumble which on the prism and we are fighting for this error to be corrected, but a judges go after 6 months of fighting court of appeals agreed to review the case. so i don't think i don't, that's the current status as a stomach bug me boss or not? i liked it. well that's the we're back on the radio and we'd like to invite you to join us to morrow. it's an important day. my yeah, we need the support of all of you that will be gathering in front of the c double menendez court to support your daughter,
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her hearing apple yandell abdul. laura. it was a crucial day for her and she just there. so be there early from 7 am in front of the court house to show your support and her fight to regain her freedom.
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ah with good for me then what's your family's hope as to position for you? okay, well, what i would like is to her son, to have his mother's love. he has had to live with his grandparents, not his mother desolate, and that we'll pray to god that the case will be resolved and she will get her freedom back. let us gavin, by she's been oppressed for so long and unable to take care of her son badly. possibly, it goes back to the faulty investigation. the facts are all there. not much of them there for the system based on your investigation is tail gotta innocent or guilty.
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maybe it's that's for the judges to decide based on the evidence. and i'm just presenting evidence or whatever. going as far as when mayor brown, instead of enough to be clear, was the child still born or could it have been killed or last night that nothing in the autopsy confirms the child ever drew breath bitterly. so it was still born. what i think it didn't draw breath. i had a meeting with what happened to your baby? earlier today? i was 9 months pregnant when my baby came here. i've been in prison ever since. 11
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years in prison. i how many people are in the same situation? with emma said, having 23 of us are accused of this crime that we did not commit quite an item from indiana to from us. how were these years in prison knowing you were innocent? very difficult. then if i faced hard times in prison, jeremy caught them. i don't, i think i'm paying for a crime. i didn't commit a step by then underneath of enough of mckinney home to let her kim is. i mean, what is your message to the war world and to countries, lord abortion has still criminalized all question. you may say my message is to review all the cases of women who have been convicted of a crime. similar to mine seemed like we did not commit this crime. somebody took a 1000000 mccormick, we need our freedom back because it's our right target in the isn't it. we have a right to freedom that they have violated our freedom. with that, just not only my freedom but of many women. and as i said about the state did not
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support us but discriminated against us as women battle. but we have the strength and courage to keep fighting here. but i think you have a channel to live below. what are you asking from the judges? okay. like i said, i will give it to give me back my freedom can like i said, i will do that because i am innocent. but again, because i have a family to fight for now if i me up again, which had but the thing because i have people who love me and need me to be with them. that's all it's ah with
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. mm hm. or did you got it? was it the 30 your sentence was upheld level. so you like, how can
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a prosecutor say she killed without evidence? this kind of justice is not justice. i'll see you in the host isn't that was easy. ah. with fed up with this situation. we've had enough of the violence against women people of the world. please support el salvador. we are becoming more and more impoverished, but we are not paul. we uncovered by the patriarchal capitalist system we
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women will keep fighting. this is an injustice wanting in ah a flower arrangement was given to the legislature by
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a group of activists and family members of women in prison for health complications that lead to miscarriage. asked for clemency for 17 women who were sentenced to prison terms of up to 40 years. they were found guilty of aggravated homicide. if you do that, either. this is a distress signal from amnesty international. in el salvador bullshit is prohibited in cases. please help the listen with that and it is a country that has some of the world strictest abortion law just have delayed a rolling on whether to free a woman who was sentenced to 30 years in prison after she gave birth to a still born baby human rights organizations are calling for an end to el salvador totally bond plan and i will gather yeah. got a lawyer came and gave me a paper and said meet emily matthews. don't look, i read this step when your sentence has been reduced to the time you've already spent. here on dennis had left edward could i sample for you?
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i had a pain in pretending i took the paper and started reading. so as dara. it said that i was absolved and of quite a said, i thought this can't be true. i said my sentence was just upheld. but effie nan, but i read it again and again a 1000 times to make sure i understood no with when i did on when i was informed that i was free, i read out the letter with the other girls that they were crying. and we love each other in here. ah, how can i wear family? ah, la fuente, i thought the main thing is that we stuck together one in, because together we can break down the walls that surround us. ah, sad that they know that my leaving here is
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a door opening for them to what that lack of fabric but a hey good with morning and thank you for being here. that's going to say that the ministry of justice and security has approved the commutation of the sentence of miss theodore
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vasquez. i've been reducing it from 30 years to 10 years. and 7 months to day ted or vasquez walks free a 2nd chance at life. but i think thank you for coming in with ah, a
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i'm the didn't recognize anyone, not even my siblings or my nephew, a knock on a c. i didn't recognize any one on the, on my letter with either. yes and either it was a long day, but i wasn't even tired. i was free but afraid to face life. nobody. i couldn't believe that. he called me mamma. call it. oh cindy boy, leaking lucille her young. i see, and i still wasn't used to the idea that i had a teenage son, eagle,
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and he wasn't used to the idea that he had a young mother. yeah, let's ya dad. the mariner mother calling for simple i would get but a look at her him. my mother was his mother and he has to mothers in indian for your family. leave it in the day i got out. i felt so much happiness, aryana fill it up and i mean my mom was in but also like i was put in to the been asked on the food or kill one that bad at the one part of me wanted to get out of him and the other was afraid to leave the women behind a higher than that of some men above. they told me we will also be freed. i mean them in the horizon, but i felt bad that i gotten lucky and they hadn't the 7th day them
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savvy. i guess i knew the march 8th protest existed in, but i didn't know the extent of it. but my 1st time there was unforgettable. with those being with them made me think when, when i'm not alone, i'm stronger and i will join them. so we speak with one voice.
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hello, salvatore and people sisters. and all of you who are here today today is a very important day for all of us. i am very happy and grateful. your struggle was worth it. i am the living proof. i am here to join you and fight alongside you to free the other incarcerated women. i invite each and every one of you to stand together and keep on fighting. because the site does not stop here, we will take on every one who comes because we are fighters. we will not be silent . we are women who will face anything that comes our way. with me. hello friend, how are you? i'm very proud of you and my along with i'm so happy about all the effort you're putting in on our behalf. god bless you. take care of your son, your family. i love you very much and i hope to out there with you one day soon.
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i'm sending you lots of kisses and hugs. i love you very much a with mm hm. see. oh, no semester. so it's been less than 2 months since i regained my freedom. it's up to santa, i will never get back those 10 years of my life. little bit at, but that's my pass to get somebody did any by sat. i'm living my present now in the sending and campaigning for the women who are still in prison. don't have yet the
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need for getting i'm raising my voice on their behalf. jackie, i am calling on the legislative assembly of el salvador to speed up the process of commuting their sentences, battled and put pressure on the government of el salvador to release these 24 women been established under basic whether there are still 24 women in prison antonio, facing enormous difficulties, a day to keep fighting after 10 years in prison is not only extraordinary. it takes great courage to your daughter, carmen vasquez, you on inspiration to us all ah
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for the people don't understand the reality of women. the worst thing is that women who live in the countryside in small villages are the most vulnerable. no woman who has money is in prison, not one believe me. grandma, come up with we are guilty because we are women. anyway, we have no rights. from the moment we get pregnant, our lives don't matter. with what matters is the fetus we're carrying. it went up. the mother's health doesn't matter. only the child, i imagine a 12 year old girl going to school her future still ahead of her if she gets raped and pregnant thing, i think she will be forced to have the child just because of our laws. i believe this is, i'm just gonna say we must raise our voices and say what we feel and think about
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this issue. mm hm. ah, i let them. i wanted to see them, but i didn't think it be possible for me. yes, it was good to come back and visit the prison to see every one in saying that i am here to meet and i support you and will be with you no matter what the lawyer dan thought in good times and bad. sam, when i'll be there, you will ah,
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[000:00:00;00] a . ringback ah, ah ah, it's one of germany's most popular travel destinations. regensburg the city on the danube is experiencing a tourism boom. what attracts visitors to this unesco world heritage site. our host
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nicholas clearly looks around, tries logos specialties and is impress. it's going to be a journey for 2000 years of history. check in 30 minutes on d, w. p. everybody knows you've made from the trillion course large amounts of c, o 2, a synthetic combustibles known as e field. tentative lee scientists are resetting that production. how exactly does it work? and do e feels, how to west energy balance? red? 90 minutes on d w. oh.
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