After the first criminal complaint for sexual assault was filed against former two-time president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace award winner, Oscar Arias Sánchez, last February 5 by a physician and antinuclear activist, several women have raised their voice to report they too were once victims of the sexual misconduct of Arias.

Two journalists, Nona Antillón, who worked with Arias during his first presidential campaign back in 86’; Emma Daly, currently the head of communication of Human Rights Watch, and who used to work as a reported covering Central America back in 1990, both women reported having been inappropriately touched against their will by the former President.

On February 7 it was the editor of one of Arias’ books, Marta Araya Marroni, who also assured that she suffered sexual harassment, in an interview with news website The Tico Times, Araya mentioned that Arias “had made multiple unwanted sexual advances over the course of several weeks in 2012” (…) “He was always respectful until he wasn’t”.

In the cases of Antillón and Daly even if they wanted to file a formal complaint, they wouldn’t be able to since it has been more than 10 years since the events occurred.

But on Friday, February 8, another criminal complaint was filed against Oscar Arias, in this case the victim is Yazmín Morales, who was elected Miss Costa Rica back in 1994. According to Morales, the situation took place in 2015, when she was invited to Arias’ house to pick up a book she was offered as a gift. When she was ready to leave, Morales declared that “He (Arias) stood in front of me, blocking the door that was closed, I am taller than him, however, he grabbed my head, I had my hair down, he grabbed me pulled me towards his body and with one of his hands he touched my breasts over my clothes and then gave me a kiss against my will”, (the copy of the report was published by AmeliaRueda.com).

Due to the reports filed against him, Arias temporarily separated from the National Liberation Party (PLN), the ethic committee of the political party is investigating his situation.

Through his lawyer, Rodolfo Brenes, former president Arias stated: “I deny categorically the accusations made against me,” he said. “I have never acted in a way that disrespected the will of any woman.”