Salvadoran women freed from jail after abortion convictions seek clemency for others

Elsy, Kenia, Evelyn and Karen, women who were freed from jail after being convicted of aggravated homicide following medical emergencies during their pregnancies, pose with abortion rights activists Morena Herrera and Sara Garcia of the Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion and a green handkerchief symbolizing the abortion rights movement in San Salvador, El Salvador February 22, 2022. REUTERS/Jessica Orellana

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - Four Salvadoran women recently freed from prison after a judicial review of their convictions for aggravated homicide following miscarriages called on Tuesday for another 12 women being prosecuted in El Salvador under similar circumstances to have their charges quashed.

The four women - Kenia, Evelyn, Karen and Elsy, who asked to be identified by their first names because they feared for their safety - were each sentenced to 30 years in prison after being convicted for aggravated homicide following miscarriages. They served seven to 13 years of their respective sentences and were all freed from December to February after authorities reviewed their cases.