Woman stabbed to death in first case of domestic violence in Spain in 2019

In the first recorded case of domestic violence in Spain this year, a 26-year-old woman was allegedly stabbed to death by her boyfriend on Thursday in Laredo, in the northern region of Cantabria.

The 29-year-old suspect is in custody after he turned himself in, said the government delegate in the region.

Emergency services received a call at 4.05am on Thursday, and the police were sent to a home on Rosario Ochandiano Square, where they found the victim with knife wounds to her chest. Health workers were unable to save her life.

The man, who hails from Ecuador, had no criminal record of domestic abuse, while his alleged victim, a native of Dominican Republic, had not filed any complaints against him.

“All my condolences and solidarity go out to the family and friends of the young woman who was murdered by her partner in Laredo. We will never forgo our commitment to eradicate sexist violence,” tweeted Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday.

In 2018, a total of 47 women were killed by their current or former partners, the lowest figure since records began to be kept. The typical victim is a woman between 41 and 50 years of age who is murdered by her sentimental partner, whom she had never reported for abuse.

La Manada

Also on Thursday, a Navarre court decided to allow five men found guilty of sexual abuse at the 2016 Running of the Bulls to remain free while they wait for their appeals to be reviewed by the Supreme Court.

The members of La Manada (The Wolf Pack) were placed in preventive custody on July 7, 2016 and released on June 21, 2018. In April of last year they were sentenced to nine years in prison for sexually abusing a young woman during the popular Sanfermines festival in the northern city of Pamplona. A higher court later confirmed the conviction, but the men have appealed to the Supreme Court.

The case galvanized public opinion in Spain, where there were calls to revamp the criminal code to better reflect the nature of sexual violence. While convicted of abuse, the men were exonerated from the rape charges.

English version by Susana Urra.