Marienela Cabrera is 47 years old, is a judge in Florencia, Caquetá, and never imagined that dancing in front of her cellphone would cost her disciplinary proceedings.
The National Commission for Judicial Discipline of Colombia reviewed her personal TikTok account and found 48 videos that it described as “suggestive and provocative actions”, inappropriate for someone who administers justice. The magistrate in charge, Manuel Enrique Flórez, went further. He spoke of images of “body parts” that undermine the decorum required by her position.
Cabrera, married and the mother of three children, did not remain silent. She said that the proceedings against her are “a sexist manifesto”, laden with “sexist and misogynistic assumptions”, and recalled that no one examines male magistrates on how they dress or move outside the courthouse. Her professional record, up to this point, had been impeccable.