{
  "id": 7505583,
  "title": "El Salvador court hands down first life sentence for femicide",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/el-salvador-court-hands-down-first-life-sentence-for-femicide",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-15T07:59:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW News",
    "slug": "dw-news",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/el-salvador-court-hands-down-first-life-sentence-for-femicide/a-79268746?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a historic ruling, a court in El Salvador has handed down a life sentence to a 39-year-old man for aggravated femicide, marking the first instance of such a sentence being imposed in the country's history. The guilty verdict was reached just 42 days following the crime, according to the Attorney General's Office of the Republic of El Salvador (FGR), which announced the decision on X. The defendant, Eduardo, was found guilty of stabbing his neighbor to death in Santa Ana, a western city, in August. Prosecutors claim that Eduardo had been harassing the victim prior to the attack. This landmark conviction comes after a series of legal reforms spearheaded by El Salvador's right-wing president, Nayib Bukele. In April, the country's legislature approved amendments permitting life imprisonment for severe crimes, including homicide, rape, femicide, and terrorism. Prior to these reforms, the maximum prison sentence was 60 years, with potential reductions for good behavior. This move is part of President Bukele's broader strategy to combat crime and insecurity, including the recent inauguration of the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in 2023. However, human rights organizations have criticized the center and Bukele's crackdown on gangs, which has resulted in the imprisonment of over 90,000 individuals. El Salvador already has one of the highest rates of femicide globally, with rates frequently exceeding 12 per 100,000 women during the 2010s, including over 500 killings in 2016 alone. Feminist organizations attribute the worsening situation to COVID-19 lockdowns, which increased exposure to domestic violence and limited access to support services.",
  "summary": "The landmark conviction comes 42 days after the killing of a woman in Santa Ana who prosecutors said was stalked and harassed by her neighbor.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "DW English (Top Stories)",
        "title": "El Salvador court hands down first life sentence for femicide",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/el-salvador-court-hands-down-first-life-sentence-for-femicide-7508991",
        "published": "2026-09-15T07:59:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}