Family and friends hold vigil to mark one year since death of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre

By Aleena Fayaz, CNN

(CNN) — Family and friends of Virginia Giuffre, one of the best known accusers of Jeffrey Epstein, gathered on the National Mall in Washington on Saturday to celebrate her life and legacy on the one-year anniversary of her death and in the wake of the Justice Department’s release of millions of documents related to Epstein.

Giuffre, who died by suicide last April at her home near Perth, Australia, publicly alleged in 2019 that Epstein trafficked her and forced her to have sex with his friends, including former Prince Andrew, when she was as young as 17 years old.

Many attendees, including several survivors of Epstein’s abuse, donned butterfly pins, in honor of Giuffre.

“We wear your butterfly pins, knowing it’s a piece of you with us, providing us with the strength to keep moving forward, the true metamorphosis of transitioning from victim to survivor,” said Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, as his voice cracked with emotion. “You’re my hero and you’re a hero to the world.”

Epstein survivor Laura Blume McGee said Giuffre “paid the ultimate price.”

“As a survivor, Virginia’s bravery changed my life,” McGee said. “Her courage gave me permission to be visible and to demand accountability and to reclaim my voice. Because of her, I believe justice is possible and our voice can spark real lasting change.”

Giuffre’s memoir, “Nobody’s Girl,” was published six months after her death, and contains harrowing details of the abuse she said she suffered as a teenager. It also recounts her years attempting to get justice for herself and fellow victims.

“In my years with them, they lent me out to scores of wealthy, powerful people. I was habitually used and humiliated – and in some instances, choked, beaten, and bloodied,” Giuffre wrote of Epstein and his circle. “I believed that I might die a sex slave.”

A renewed push for transparency gained momentum last year after months of advocacy from survivors and lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The Epstein Files Transparency Act, which passed last November with bipartisan support in Congress and was signed by President Donald Trump after months of resistance on the issue. It forced the Justice Department to release nearly 3 million pages of files related to the investigation into Epstein.

The release of the Epstein files, however, was met with criticism after attorneys for Epstein victims said the DOJ failed to redact identifying information in “thousands” of places and withheld the details of people who may have aided the convicted sex offender. Earlier this week, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog announced it is launching a review into the DOJ’s production of files and documents relating to the Epstein files, as survivors and members of Congress have accused the agency of botching the files’ release.

Giuffre’s publicist, Dini von Mueffling, reflected at the vigil Saturday on the strides made toward accountability and justice for Epstein survivors since Giuffre’s passing.

“Little did either of us know at the time we began our journey, what we would be able to accomplish, particularly in this last year since her passing,” von Mueffling said. “What a year. The milestones of it are too numerous to mention.”

Police arrested Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, one of Giuffre’s most prominent alleged abusers, on suspicion of misconduct in public office after her death. In the months prior, Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his titles and honors and evicted from the royal estate in Windsor.

Among the trove of documents released by the Justice Department, is an email that appears to confirm the authenticity of a photograph of Mountbatten-Windsor with his arm around Giuffre. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied all of Giuffre’s accusations and says he does not recall ever meeting her.

Sky Roberts told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Friday how important it is to him that leaders recognize the “systematic failure across countries” for victims who come forward, ahead of Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the US.

“We have some real change that needs to happen, which is why it’s important to have the President of the United States and the King of England, who will be here next Monday, really acknowledge the situation that there was a systematic failure here and that it can never happen again,” Roberts said.

Danny Wilson, Giuffre’s brother, told those standing on the National Mall that his sister would want people to remember her spirit and courage.

“She would want us to keep living, to keep loving, to keep showing up for one another. So, today we honored her not just by remembering how she left this world but by remembering how she lived in it,” Wilson said, before speaking directly to his late sister, who was referred to by family as, “Jenna.”

“Jenna, you are missed. You are loved. And you will never be reduced to just one chapter of your life,” Wilson said.

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