Controversial Sex Offenses Law Changed Again in Spain Ned Price Steps Down as US State Department Spokesman

Due to undesirable effects, the new sex criminal law in Spain will not be changed again until about five months after it comes into effect. After heated debates, the House of Representatives in Madrid on Tuesday evening approved a proposal from the left-wing government to kick-start the reform process. The so-called “Only yes is yes” law, which led to the unexpected early release of more than 70 sex offenders, sparked a violent crisis within the coalition nine months before parliamentary elections. Polls show that the Conservative opposition is now more popular with voters.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party (PSOE) received support from, among others, the conservative opposition in its motion in parliament on Tuesday. The junior partner of the coalition Unidas Podemos (UP), meanwhile, voted against.

The law, which introduced not only higher maximum sentences, but also lower minimum sentences in some cases, had both unexpected and undesirable effects. Lawyers for incarcerated sex offenders exploited loopholes in the rules that took effect in October, helping to obtain reduced sentences in more than 700 cases.

The UP fears that the PSOE could give in to the demands of the conservative opposition and accept a return to the old way of life in the forthcoming debates on the new reform of the law: “We do not want a return to a patriarchal system in which you when victims were asked if their legs were properly closed,” said UP Minister for Equality Irene Montero.

PSOE politicians, meanwhile, have denied UP’s allegations and said they will not deviate from the principle of consent of all parties involved in sex acts. The PSOE reform proposal raises most sentences to 15 years in prison, but at the same time puts more emphasis on the use of force and intimidation criteria, which UP dislikes.

The controversial law criminalized “intimidating” compliments and the distribution of sex videos, among other things. With its initiative, the government responded to several cases of gang rape last year, with the perpetrators getting away with relatively light sentences. Montero had said that “rape culture” would end. (sda/dpa)