A pristine, white, two-story building stands in downtown San José, home to the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress. It is named after Oscar Arias, one of the country’s most revered presidents, who started the foundation after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to end civil wars in Central America.
But a string of sexual assault allegations against Arias emerged in early February, casting a shadow on the legacy represented by the building. On Feb. 8, feminist groups protested outside the building with signs reading, “Oscar Arias rapist”, “I believe you” and “He proposes peace, but invades women’s bodies.”
On Feb. 5, Alexandra Arce von Herold, a psychiatrist and antinuclear activist, filed formal charges of rape against Arias for putting his hands up her skirt and penetrating her with his fingers in 2014 while at his house for a business meeting. (Under Costa Rican law, rape includes penetration by fingers or other objects.) An unexpected outpouring of sup..