Legal rulings address sexual abuse and gender violence in Spain and Latin America

gender violence legal rulings sex reassignment sexual abuse convictions judicial precedents

Various legal rulings across Latin America and Spain have addressed cases of sexual abuse and gender-based violence.

In Spain, the Supreme Court ruled that a change of sex does not have retroactive effects to annul previous convictions for gender-based violence. The decision involved a case where an individual committed assaults against an ex-partner and child while legally registered as a man, later attempting to use a sex reassignment to bypass the specific penalties associated with gender violence.

In Mexico, Alejandro Mazatán Sahagún was sentenced to 13 years and three months in prison for the sexual abuse of a minor in Atizapán de Zaragoza. The defendant had previously evaded justice by fleeing to Querétaro before being apprehended.

In Argentina, a court confirmed an 11-year sentence for a man who sexually abused three of his granddaughters over several years. Additionally, a priest from the Schoenstatt Movement, Cruz Viale, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for simple sexual abuse.

In Paraguay, the Supreme Court upheld the acquittal of a former member of the Judicial Ethics Tribunal who was accused of domestic violence, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to prove guilt.

Entities

Argentina · Audiencia de Madrid · Castellón · Civil Registry of Castellón · Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México · Mexico · Paraguay · Schoenstatt Movement · Spain · Spanish Supreme Court · Tribunal Supremo

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[DISPUTED] The defendant received a nine-month prison sentence for domestic violence against his eight-year-old daughter. www.huelvainformacion.es · www.eldiario.es
[DISPUTED] The defendant was sentenced to nine months in prison for gender-based violence against an ex-partner. www.huelvainformacion.es · www.eldiario.es
[● 2 SOURCES] The legal change of sex was recorded by the Civil Registry of Castellón on June 1, 2023. www.huelvainformacion.es · www.eldiario.es
[● 2 SOURCES] The Spanish Supreme Court ruled that a change of sex does not have retroactive effects to annul a prior conviction for gender-based violence. www.huelvainformacion.es · www.eldiario.es
[● 2 SOURCES] The violent incidents occurred on April 20, 2022. www.huelvainformacion.es · www.eldiario.es
[● 2 SOURCES] A sex change cannot be used to neutralize a conviction for gender violence if the acts occurred when the perpetrator was legally a man. www.huelvainformacion.es · www.eldiario.es