Elizabeth Díaz

Photojournalist and visual storyteller
   
Defending my life is not a crime!
Nationality: Mexican
Biography: Elizabeth Díaz is a native and habitant of Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl in the State of Mexico, she studied Communication Sciences at UNAM, specializes in audiovisual journalism with a focus on human rights, is the founder of the collective... MORE
Public Story
Defending my life is not a crime!
Copyright Elizabeth Díaz 2024
Updated Jan 2023
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This project portrays the struggle of Roxana Ruiz Santiago, who is 22 years old, originally from Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, and has lived in Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl for seven years with her four-year-old son. On May 7, 2021 she was the victim of rape, she was beaten and threatened with death in her own home, when she was involved in this situation, she defended herself from her aggressor and he lost his life, exercising her right to self-defense, in the fight for her integrity, a fact for which she was imprisoned.

In an unprecedented event, in the early morning of February 16, 2022, she was released, under due process, after 9 months in custody. Although she is now free, her road to justice is still long, as she does not have a final sentence. Her process has been long, revictimizing and hard, since her family does not have sufficient resources to support the expenses involved in the search for her freedom, every hearing her family had to travel more than 10 hours from Oaxaca to the State of Mexico, in addition to paying for her son's expenses and the basic necessities that they had to cover for her in prison.


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Este proyecto retrata la lucha de Roxana Ruiz Santiago, quien tiene 22 años, es originaria de Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca, desde hace siete años vive en Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl junto a su hijo de cuatro años. El 7 de mayo de 2021 fue víctima de violación sexual, fue golpeada y amenazada de muerte en su propia casa, al verse envuelta en esa situación, se defendió de su agresor y éste perdió la vida, ejerciendo su derecho a la legitima defensa, en la lucha por su integridad, hecho por el cual fue encarcelada.

En un hecho sin precedentes, la madrugada del 16 de febrero de 2022, salió en libertad, bajo el debido proceso, después de estar 9 meses meses en prisión preventiva. Aunque ahora se encuentra en libertad, su camino para la exigencia de justicia aún es largo, ya que no cuenta con una sentencia resolutoria. Su proceso ha sido largo, revictimizante y duro, ya que su familia no cuenta con los recursos suficientes para sostener los gastos que implica la búsqueda de su libertad, cada audiencia su familia tenía que trasladarse más de 10 horas de Oaxaca al Estado de México, además de pagar por los gastos de su hijo  las necesidades básicas que debían de cubrir de ella en prisión.





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Defending my life is not a crime! by Elizabeth Díaz
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