Thousands of Spaniards demonstrated Monday evening across the country following a court ruling deemed "lenient" against five young men who had sex alternately with a 14-year-old underage girl.
A Barcelona court ruled that young adults should not be charged with rape because they had not had “forced” sex and only charged “sexual assault,” which sparked widespread rejection and anger in the street.
Hundreds protested in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice in the Spanish capital, Madrid, against the decision to try the five men, on charges "mitigated", even if the relationship was "by consensus", according to "Sky News".
The angry people assert that what happened to the girl was raped, because she is still a minor and unconscious, and therefore, can not talk about mere assault, they said.
The protesters demanded the repeal of the law, which allows reduced charges for those involved in raping girls under the age of 18.
Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said the government saw changing the law as a priority, but the government's efforts could be hampered by the outcome of the upcoming legislative elections on Sunday.
The current Spanish government collapsed early this year because of insufficient confidence in the country, and the elections held last April did not succeed in lifting the European country out of the political impasse.
The controversial incident dates back to October 2016, when a group of young men, including the girl, drank alcohol and then sexed alternately on the minor, who was not conscious.
In her testimony before the court, the girl said that she did not remember exactly what had happened that day, because she was not fully conscious, which led the judges to conclude that the girl was not in a state of perception that would allow her to accept or refuse.
Consequently, the defendants were convicted of 10 to 12 years' imprisonment and a fine of 12,000 euros, but the convicts expressed their intention to appeal the sentence.
By Julia Chang November 06, 2019
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