A woman who delivered a stillborn baby after being raped is now facing a lengthy prison sentence.
Prosecutors in El Salvador allege Evelyn Beatríz Hernández Cruz deliberately induced an abortion as a teenager.
The now 21-year-old will go on trial for the second time, despite a court ordering her release from jail earlier this year.
The young woman had served three years behind bars when lawyers successfully argued the rape victim was unaware she was pregnant at the time of the stillbirth.
Salvadorean rape victim Evelyn Beatríz Hernández Cruz listens to court proceedings in San Salvador. Source: AFP
Prosecutors have long argued Ms Hernandez is guilty of murder because she failed to seek out antenatal care.
Activists have followed the woman’s case and the retrial is threatening to unsettle support groups who had celebrated Ms Hernandez’s initial court victory.
Activists demanding freedom, justice and redress for Salvadorean rape victim Evelyn Beatríz Hernández Cruz. Source: AFP
El Salvador remains a deeply conservative nation with the church a highly influential force in public discourse.
Abortion has been illegal in the Central American country since 1998 with dozens of women prosecuted for manslaughter and homicide for suffering still birth or miscarriage.
