Chile: Attempted Femicide Sentence Revoked for Man Who Gouged Out Partner's Eyes

In a controversial decision, the Supreme Court of Chile reduced a man's prison sentence from 26 to 18 years' punishment for gouging out the eyes of his former partner Nabila Rifo in a case that has become emblematic of an ongoing crisis of intimate partner violence in the country.

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In a final ruling that sparked the ire of women's rights activists, the court ruled that the decision in May condemning Mauricio Ortega for "frustrated femicide" was rescinded. He had originally been sentenced to 26 years and 170 days in prison for attempted murder and other offenses after the brutal attack on Rifo.

"We declare that Mauricio Ortega is sentenced for his responsibility as the perpetrator of this seriously injurious crime," said Supreme Court spokesman Lamberto Cisternas.

Cisternas explained that the femicide conviction was dismissed because it wasn't fully established as a motive in the sequence of events. The assault occurred on May 14, 2016.

Rifo, 29, a mother of four, was found unconscious with various skull fractures, some broken teeth and her eyes missing. She was also suffering from hypothermia, and was only found after passers-by alerted police. After several days in a critical condition, Rifo managed to survive but had completely lost her eyesight.

The horrific attack occurred amid ongoing physical and psychological abuse from Ortega, who had abused her for years.

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"He bothered me for every single thing, for the food, that I cooked ‘badly.’ He told me that I was a whore. Sometimes he even dragged me down the stairs."

The trial against Ortega, the father of two of Rifo’s children, has become a rallying-point for opponents of femicide and misogynistic violence, with mass demonstrations sweeping the country. Even Chilean President Michelle Bachelet — who led United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women — visited Rifo at home.

On Tuesday, hundreds of women gathered at the gates of the court, responding to the reduction of Ortega's sentence with shouts, chants and tearful cries.

The exposure of Rifo's privacy — including details of her sex life — and the leak of Tuesday's ruling, advanced by La Tercera newspaper on Sunday added greater controversy to the polemical case.

Before the attack, Rifo worked as a waitress but today is still unable to look after herself. In the past, she has told Chilean media she wanted to publicize her case to help other victims of domestic violence.