SPAIN is considering changes to the law after a court rejected charges of gang rape against five men, an official said.
The men were instead convicted on a lesser charge of sexual abuse.
Street protests erupted across Spain yesterday after a court in the northern city of Pamplona sentenced the five men to nine years each in prison.
Activists described the attack during the 2016 running of the bulls festival in Pamplona as a gang rape.
Government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo said ministers respect the independence of courts but added that it “has always been, is and will always be on the side of the victims”. He called the attack “despicable”.
Justice minister Rafael Catala has begun consultations with legal experts to assess whether changes to Spain’s rape laws are required, Mendez de Vigo said.
Today, a senior prosecutor in northern Spain said he will appeal against the five men’s convictions.
Jose Sanchez said the attackers should be punished for “sexual assault [rape] and not only for sexual abuse”.
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