Spanish elections and politics III / Pedro Sánchez faces a new term as PM

[NewYorkExpress]

Spain finally proposing a law that says any non-consenual sex is rape.

The Spanish government approved a law on Tuesday to define all non-consensual sex as rape, part of a legislative overhaul that toughens penalties for sexual harassment and mandates more support systems for victims.

It approved the bill five years after what became known as the 'wolf pack' case, in which five men gang-raped an 18-year old woman at Pamplona's bull-running festival, causing public outrage and prompting calls to reform laws on sexual violence.

The draft still requires parliamentary approval, which is expected by the end of the year.

Based around a "yes means yes" model, which qualifies any non-consenting sex as rape, the law will bring Spain into line with 11 other European countries, including Sweden, Portugal and Britain, that use similar legal definitions.

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Under existing legislation, a perpetrator must have used physical violence or intimidation for an assault to be classified as rape.

Stalking and street harassment, considered misdemeanors under current legislation, will become crimes, as will female genital mutilation.

[NewYorkExpress]

The Constitution Court ruled that the intital stay at home order, because of COVID-19 was unconstitutional.

Spain’s Constitutional Court ruled the initial home lockdowns in the country due to the pandemic were unconstitutional.

The 6-5 court decision on Wednesday found most of the emergency declarations during the pandemic were constitutional but ruled against the stay-at-home orders, state broadcaster TVE reported, according to The Associated Press.

The stay-at-home orders did not allow citizens to go outside except for short shopping trips and necessary work commutes. The first order was in place for six weeks and did not allow citizens to go outside even to exercise.


The court said such restrictions on people’s movement violated basic rights, which is not allowed under a state of emergency, only a state of exception, according to the AP.

The lawsuit was brought on by the Vox party during the pandemic.