An Argentina court on Thursday convicted two men for the rape and murder of 16-year-old Lucia Perez in 2016, a case that has become emblematic of a movement to fight back against violence against women and girls in the region.
Perez's murder in Mar del Plata ignited widespread anger in Argentina, becoming a symbol of the Ni Una Menos (Not One Less) movement to demand action on femicide. In November 2018, the two men were convicted for drug dealing, but the rape and femicide charges were thrown out because judges determined that it could not be established whether or not there had been consent. The ruling caused outrage, and was annulled in 2020 by an appeals court for "lack of gender perspective" and "incompatibility" with international human rights law.
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez visited Perez's family on International Women's Day this year. On Twitter, he called for justice in the case and criticized the Argentine justice system for what he called a lack of gender perspective in the previous trial.
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