Protests against a Spanish court’s acquittal of five men accused of rape entered their third day on Saturday, as nearly 35,000 demonstrators marched in the city of Pamplona alone, AFP reported. Over 1.2 million people have now signed an online petition seeking the disqualification of the judges who found the men guilty only of “sexual abuse”, but not sexual assault or rape on Thursday.
The men were accused of raping a 18-year-old woman at Pamplona’s famous bull-running festival in July 2016. They filmed the incident on their mobile phones and bragged about it on a WhatsApp group, calling themselves “The Wolf Pack”.
After a five-month trial, the court sentenced each of them to nine years in jail on Thursday. Prosecutors had asked for sentences of more than 20 years.
Protests have also taken place in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia since Thursday’s verdict. Twitter users have been using the hashtag #cuéntalo (“tell it”) to share their stories of abuse. The national outcry has prompted the Spanish government to say it will consider changing its rape laws and classify sexual offences differently.
According to the Spanish law, evidence of violence or intimidation must exist for rape to be proved. Police had said the victim had a “passive or neutral” attitude during the incident, and kept her eyes closed. Defence lawyers argued this was proof of consent, while the prosecutors said she was too traumatised to move, the BBC reported.
The woman’s lawyers said they would appeal against the verdict.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!