In the spotlight: historic decision on abortion in Colombia
Women demonstrate outside the Constitutional Court of Colombia in favor of removing abortion from the criminal code, in Bogota on February 21, 2022. REUTERS - LUISA GONZALEZ
Text by: Marie Normand Follow
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Bandanas, balloons and green umbrellas waved outside the Constitutional Court in Bogota on Monday.
They are displayed Une d'
El Heraldo
,
which reconsiders the decision of the Court to decriminalize the abortion until 24 weeks of pregnancy, for any reason.
Women who have resorted to abortion so far were liable to a sentence of 16 to 54 months in prison, except in cases of rape, endangering the mother or malformation of the fetus.
"
The crime of abortion has been removed from the penal code
", specifies the newspaper.
This decision, described as historic by all the press, has aroused many reactions from the two camps which have been opposing each other in the streets for several months.
In a
video
posted on Twitter and shared by
El Heraldo
, Senator Angélica Lozano celebrates this decision, which according to her "
will save the lives of hundreds of women, especially the poorest, forced to undergo clandestine abortions
".
A society still very divided on the question of abortion
On the contrary, this Monday, February 21 was "
a day of mourning
", for the senator, María del Rosario Guerra.
She argues that “
Colombian society does not win
”.
For her, “
it is a setback in the fundamental right to respect for life and (…) it affects the very dignity of women”
.
The elected official regrets that the Colombian people were not consulted by referendum.
Colombian society remains divided on the issue as also shown by this face to face between two other congresswomen, on the front page of
Semana
.
It is also in Congress that the next battle will be held, supports the Colombian media.
Pro-life groups intend to turn “
to other bodies to have the decision annulled
” or to ensure that it “
cannot be applied
”.
With this historic decision, adds the conservative newspaper
El Tiempo
, "
Colombia joins Argentina, where abortion is legal up to 14 weeks, and four states in Mexico where it has also been decriminalized
" up to 12 weeks.
Peru: Former President
Ollanta Humala in court
This is a first in Peru: a former leader must answer corruption charges in the Odebrecht affair, which has splashed many Latin American leaders.
Four former heads of state are being prosecuted: former president Ollanta Humala and first lady Nadine Heredia are the first to be called to the bar.
The couple is being prosecuted "
for the alleged illicit financing of the 2006 and 2011 campaigns
", specifies
La Republica
, "
with funds coming from Venezuela and Brazil
".
The trial, which began on Monday, continues on Tuesday with the intervention of the public prosecutor.
The hearings, broadcast on television, are scheduled until March 25.
"
The prosecution requested 20 years in prison for the former president and 26 and a half years
” for his wife.
But it is another president, the current one, Pedro Castillo, who is making headlines in all of the Peruvian press on Tuesday.
He is entangled in his "
contradictions
", headlines
El Comercio
, about his alleged links with lobbyist Karelim López, suspected of having monetized the award of a call for tenders.
Pedro Castillo is especially singled out by the press for his relationship with the media and the tone of the answers given to questions from journalists.
“
This press is a joke
”, he launched for example Monday to a journalist who questioned him on this affair.
"
The Federation of Peruvian Journalists has asked the President and his government to stop any attack on the press and freedom of expression
",
La Republica
.
The Lima Journalists Association demands a public apology.
El Comercio
recalls that since the start of his mandate relations between Pedro Castillo and the press have been complicated, but that a new level has been reached.
Chile: after 152 years in a museum, a moai returns to Easter Island
Finally, a word about this moai statue, packaged with care, which appears on the front page of the Chilean press.
"
The final preparations
", title
El Mercurio
, before the return of the Moai Tau to Easter Island after "
152 years of absence
".
This rock carving in basalt is “
the oldest ancestral incarnation of the island
”.
This restitution is the result of long negotiations between the Chilean authorities and the Rapa Nui.
The statue had left the island in 1870 on the orders of the Minister of the Navy at the time, Francisco Echaurren, "
known to be the first Chilean to have accomplished the feat of sailing around the world
", explains
El Mostrador
.
His wish: to enrich the collections of the National Museum of Natural History.
Not easy to move this statue, says the Chilean newspaper: with its concrete base, the piece weighs more than a ton!
The packaging for its protection during transport alone weighs almost 200 kilos.
Just to lower the moai from the first floor of the museum, it was necessary to build “
a structure of two metal towers and a rail
”.
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