Women in Puerto Rico demand action after surge in femicides

San Juan, May 5 (RHC)-- In Puerto Rico, hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in recent days in response to the femicides of 27-year-old Keishla Rodríguez and 35-year-old Andrea Ruiz.  

Ruiz’s body was found Friday, covered in burns.  Her ex-partner confessed to her murder.  Ruiz had sought protection against him, but the courts denied it.   And Rodríguez — who was pregnant — was found lifeless floating in the San José Lagoon Saturday after being reported missing the day before. 

Prominent boxer Félix Verdejo Sánchez, who represented Puerto Rico at the 2012 Olympics, has been charged with Rodríguez’s murder.  

Feminist leaders are demanding Puerto Rican Governor Pedro Pierluisi take action against skyrocketing gender violence on the island.  One organizer of the protests told reporters: “We demand the state hold itself accountable and tell us where the real state of emergency is.  The entire country is shocked by the recent murders of women, horror stories that resonate with so many of us, not only because we see ourselves reflected in each of them, but because we also share the same vulnerability.”