Partner of slain Salvadoran journalist arrested for her murder
Approximately ten days ago, Salvadoran journalist Karla Lisseth Turcios was murdered. In a country wracked with violence, her death made national and international news. We feared that she had been killed because of her work, which would have marked a serious escalation of violence against journalists in the country.
However, from the early hours and days of her disappearance people have been speculating that her death had been caused by her partner, not by gangs or organized crime groups.
Last night, the Attorney General and Salvadoran National Police (PNC) announced the capture of Mario Huezo, Karla's partner. Huezo was arrested on the charge of aggravated feminicide.
The fact that she was killed by her partner and not because of her journalistic work is not something to celebrate. Violence in El Salvador remains among the highest in the region and the world, especially for women and young girls as the country has one of the world's highest feminicide rates.
Even though the police were able to use good old detective work to solve this crime, the justice system remains under-resourced and under-prepared to respond effectively to high rates of crime.
Finally, Salvadoran authorities should be congratulated for solving this heinous crime. However, they (like us) have a long way to go to ensure that violence against women is taken more seriously. As the US State Department human rights report on El Salvador concludes, " Laws against domestic violence remained poorly enforced, and violence against women, including domestic violence, remained a widespread and serious problem."
However, from the early hours and days of her disappearance people have been speculating that her death had been caused by her partner, not by gangs or organized crime groups.
Last night, the Attorney General and Salvadoran National Police (PNC) announced the capture of Mario Huezo, Karla's partner. Huezo was arrested on the charge of aggravated feminicide.
The fact that she was killed by her partner and not because of her journalistic work is not something to celebrate. Violence in El Salvador remains among the highest in the region and the world, especially for women and young girls as the country has one of the world's highest feminicide rates.
Even though the police were able to use good old detective work to solve this crime, the justice system remains under-resourced and under-prepared to respond effectively to high rates of crime.
Finally, Salvadoran authorities should be congratulated for solving this heinous crime. However, they (like us) have a long way to go to ensure that violence against women is taken more seriously. As the US State Department human rights report on El Salvador concludes, " Laws against domestic violence remained poorly enforced, and violence against women, including domestic violence, remained a widespread and serious problem."
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