A 33-year-old man has been arrested for holding his wife captive in their home for seven years under threats of death against her and their four children, an Argentine court official said Saturday.
His 24-year-old wife, identified as Sofia, had been locked in their small home in the Buenos Aires suburb of Guernica, where she was subjected to beatings, abuse and threats, the court official said.
Police released the woman after she informed her sister of her captivity through Facebook messages and neighbors confirmed the spousal abuse.
"Thanks to indications the victim was able to give her neighbors through signs or gestures indicating she had been abducted, we were able to get to her," said German Di Pascual, a court administrator.
He added that the victim's family knew her husband kept her captive, but they were unaware of the location.
Family members said in court they "never dared to break into the houses where they suspected she might be because her partner was so dangerous," Di Pascual said. "They all are afraid of the defendant because they say he is an aggressive person who carries firearms."
The woman, who had four children by the defendant before being rescued Friday, rarely left their home "and when she did, she was accompanied by her captor, so she could not ask for help," Di Pascual said. "One witness reported that when he occasionally saw them, she was able to express in short sentences the situation she was in and to ask for help with signs." (AFP)
<한글 기사>
남편이 아내를 7년 동안이나 집안에 가둬
아르헨티나에서 한 남자가 부인을 7년간 잔인하게 폭행하고 협박하며 가둬둔 사건이 발생했다.
아르헨티나 법정은 25일(현지시간) 부인 소피아씨와 네 자녀의 목숨을 위협하며 그녀를 집안에 감금한 혐의로 한 33세의 남성을 체포했다고 밝혔다.
소피아 씨는 감금상태에서 벗어나기 위해 동생에게 페이스북 메시지를 보내고, 남편의 감시하에 외출할 때마다 몸짓을 통해 이웃에게 도와달라는 의미를 전달한 것으로 알려졌다.
피해자의 가족들은 그녀가 갇혀있다는 것을 알고 있었지만, 그녀의 남편이 총기를 휴대하고 다니는 ‘공격적인’ 사람이라는 걸 알기에 두려워 조치를 취하지 못했다고 AFP통신은 보도했다.
