Calay News
In the last few days, there has been an unexpected twist in the case of Roxana Ruiz. After she was sentenced to six years and two months in prison for killing her rapist in self-defense, the Prosecutor’s Office has decided to drop the charges against her. This means that Ruiz has been acquitted of the sentence imposed and will no longer have to pay the 285,000 pesos (US$16,000) that was demanded as compensation to the family of her assailant.
This case has generated outrage in Mexican society, a country where ten women are murdered daily, and Ruiz could have become yet another statistic. Even President Lopez Obrador spoke out in favor of granting him a pardon if the sentence stood.
Finally, media pressure has led the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Mexico (FGEM) to change its position. Through a communiqué, the FGEM has decided to drop the charges and has recognized that Ruiz acted in legitimate self-defense to protect his life, so his conduct is exempt from criminal responsibility.
A hearing was held today to file the case and bring it to a close. The opposing party has three days to appeal this decision. If an appeal is filed, the case could remain open, but Ruiz would continue her trial at liberty, as she has done since she was released from preventive detention in February 2022. The young Oaxacan woman spent nine months incarcerated in the Bordo de Xochiaca prison.
Since early in the morning, women’s groups and feminist collectives that support Ruiz, such as the group “Nos queremos Vivas Neza,” have demonstrated in front of the Nezahualcóyotl control courts to show their support. At 3:00 p.m., Ruiz left the courthouse visibly moved, accompanied by her lawyer. She is getting closer and closer to regaining her freedom.
