A MEXICAN woman who killed a man while defending herself as he attacked and raped her in 2021 was sentenced to more than six years in prison on Tuesday, in a decision called discriminatory by her legal defence team, who vowed to appeal.

The ruling against Roxana Ruiz spurred anger from experts and feminist groups, who said it speaks to the depth of gender-based violence and the state of Mexico’s poor record of bringing perpetrators of sexual violence to justice.

Ms Ruiz’s lawyer, Angel Carrera, said: “It would be a bad precedent if this sentence were to hold. It’s sending the message to women that, you know what, the law says you can defend yourself, but only to a point.”

“He raped you, but you don’t have the right to do anything.”

Ms Ruiz has given up her right to anonymity and participates in public demonstrations led by activists who support her.

While the state’s court found on Monday that Ms Ruiz had been raped, it said she was guilty of homicide with “excessive use of legitimate defence,” adding that hitting the man in the head would have been enough to defend herself. 

Ms Ruiz was also ordered to pay more than $16,000 (£12,800) in reparations to the family of the man who raped her.

In May 2021, Ms Ruiz was raped in her own home in Nezahualcoyotl, one of the 11 municipalities in the state with an ongoing gender alert for femicides and another one for forced disappearances of women.

Ms Ruiz told reporters last year: “I regret what I did, but if I hadn’t done it I would be dead today.”

Women’s rights groups have repeatedly accused Mexican authorities of revictimising survivors and failing to judge cases with a gender perspective.

Nearly half of Mexican women have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime, government data shows.