Teacher imprisoned for nearly 3 years on 'gossip' seeks state compensation

Clementina Ruiz Díaz, a teacher from Paraguay, is seeking state compensation for the nearly three years she spent in pretrial detention for a crime she maintains she did not commit. The experience, which began with her arrest on October 23, 2013, and ended with her acquittal on August 1, 2016, has left indelible marks.

“

For me, they were endless days, years of great pain. For my children too, who stayed at my house. Even now, I get emotional when I think about it. I will never forget those moments I spent in jail and all the suffering I went through... Nothing will erase the damage they caused me.

"For me, they were endless days, years of great pain. For my children too, who stayed at my house. Even now, I get emotional when I think about it. I will never forget those moments I spent in jail and all the suffering I went through... Nothing will erase the damage they caused me," Ruiz Díaz recounted tearfully.

She described how, at the time of her arrest, she believed explaining the situation would resolve it. "I thought if I explained what happened, everything would be cleared up, but it wasn't like that, they never wanted to listen to me. My God! No one could believe I was imprisoned practically based on rumors. On gossip!" she said, calling the case file a "disgrace" for lacking any evidence to warrant her prosecution.

“

I thought if I explained what happened, everything would be cleared up, but it wasn't like that, they never wanted to listen to me. My God! No one could believe I was imprisoned practically based on rumors. On gossip!

Ruiz Díaz felt truly heard for the first time during her oral trial. She recalled the words of the presiding judge, who severely reprimanded the prosecution for bringing a case to trial without any evidence, based solely on rumors. The judge reportedly called it "a shame" that she had to endure such an ordeal. She expressed gratitude for her legal counsel, Jaime López, who supported her from the beginning.

“

I believe they were not seeking the truth, but rather they pigeonhole you into something and they no longer care about clarifying or investigating, and above all, about seeking the necessary evidence to know what happened. They rather seek to convict you, they do not seek to clarify the truth, unfortunately.