Hundreds of people protested in Spain's capital on Monday against a court&nbsp;ruling&nbsp;last week that cleared five men of <a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/outrage-in-spain-over-verdict-in-gang-sex-attack-on-teen-259401">gang-raping</a> a 14-year-old girl and instead found them guilty of the lesser charge of sexual abuse.

Barcelona's High Court sentenced the five on Thursday to 10 to 12 years in prison, saying the 2016&nbsp;assault&nbsp;was not rape because the victim, who was drunk and unconscious, could neither "agree to (nor) oppose the sexual relations".

A similar&nbsp;ruling&nbsp;in the so-called Wolfpack case sparked mass protests across Spain last year over chauvinism and sexual abuse and it was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court in June.

"It's not abuse, it's rape" and "Enough with patriarchal justice" chanted the crowd made up mostly of women gathered in front of the Justice Ministry in Madrid.

Many were wearing purple scarves, a colour associated with feminist movements, while others carried purple umbrellas or wore purple gloves.

"No one deserves something like that," 44-year-old designer, Pilar Villanueva, said. "One way or the other, the government must do the criminal code reform they had promised."

The judge said that the attack on the 14-year-old girl in the city of Manresa, near Barcelona, "was extremely severe, especially denigrating, and what's more, was against a minor in a situation of distress".

But&nbsp;Spanish&nbsp;law doesn't legally recognise rape unless physical violence or intimidation is employed.

The Socialist government has appointed a panel to review the penal code, particularly the laws relating to sexual abuse and&nbsp;assault. The latter is the&nbsp;Spanish&nbsp;equivalent of rape and carries prison sentences of 15 to 20 years.

Many European countries have revised sexual violence laws to recognise the importance of explicit consent and take non-physical forms of coercion and abuse of power into account.

Hundreds of people protested in Spain's capital on Monday against a court ruling last week that cleared five men of gang-raping a 14-year-old girl and instead found them guilty of the lesser charge of sexual abuse.

Hundreds of people protested in Spain's capital on Monday against a court ruling last week that cleared five men of gang-raping a 14-year-old girl and instead found them guilty of the lesser charge of sexual abuse. Barcelona's High Court sentenced the five on Thursday to 10 to 12 years in prison, saying the 2016 assault was not rape because the victim, who was drunk and unconscious, could neither "agree to (nor) oppose the sexual relations". A similar ruling in the so-called Wolfpack case sparked mass protests across Spain last year over chauvinism and sexual abuse and it was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court in June. "It's not abuse, it's rape" and "Enough with patriarchal justice" chanted the crowd made up mostly of women gathered in front of the Justice Ministry in Madrid. Many were wearing purple scarves, a colour associated with feminist movements, while others carried purple umbrellas or wore purple gloves. "No one deserves something like that," 44-year-old designer, Pilar Villanueva, said. "One way or the other, the government must do the criminal code reform they had promised." The judge said that the attack on the 14-year-old girl in the city of Manresa, near Barcelona, "was extremely severe, especially denigrating, and what's more, was against a minor in a situation of distress". But Spanish law doesn't legally recognise rape unless physical violence or intimidation is employed. The Socialist government has appointed a panel to review the penal code, particularly the laws relating to sexual abuse and assault. The latter is the Spanish equivalent of rape and carries prison sentences of 15 to 20 years. Many European countries have revised sexual violence laws to recognise the importance of explicit consent and take non-physical forms of coercion and abuse of power into account.

'It's not abuse, it's rape': protesters denounce Spanish assault ruling

Women's groups and legal experts demanded Friday that Spanish law be changed after five men accused of gang-raping an 14-year-old girl were convicted on a lesser charge of sexual abuse on the grounds the unconscious victim did not fight back.

A Barcelona court on Thursday ruled out the more serious charge of sexual assault -- the legal equivalent of rape in Spain -- on the grounds that the victim was in an "unconscious state" from drugs and alcohol and that the accused had not used "any type of violence or intimidation" in the attack.

"She did not know what she was doing and, therefore, could not decide whether to accept or oppose the sexual relations she had with the majority of the accused," the court said. &nbsp;

The five men were handed between 10 and 12 years in prison.

A conviction for sexual assault would have carried jail sentences of between 15 and 20 years.

Two other defendants were acquitted of involvement in the attack which took place in October 2016 at a party in an abandoned factory in the town of Manresa in the northeastern region of Catalonia.

The court also ordered the men to pay the victim 12,000 euros ($13,500) in compensation, describing the assault as "extremely intense and especially degrading".

"The problem is not the verdict, it's the criminal code" which states that intimidation or violence must be proven for a person to be convicted of rape, said Montserrat Comas of the progressive Judges for Democracy association in Catalonia.

Spain's laws must be changed to define rape as all sex without consent, as is the case in most other European nations, she told news radio Cadena Ser.

It is also required by the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty on preventing and combating violence against women which Madrid ratified in 2014, she added.

"The facts are especially horrendous because we are talking about a 14-year-old minor," Comas said.

'Outrageous'&nbsp;

The case has been likened to the so-called "Wolf Pack" gang rape of a young woman in Pamplona in July 2016 during the northern city's famed bull-running festival which also sparked outrage.

In 2018, five Spanish men were first sentenced to nine years in prison for sexual abuse, in that case, leading to widespread protests and calls for a review of Spain's rape laws.

In June, the Supreme Court increased the sentences to 15 years after upgrading their charges to sexual assault.

Following the initial Pamplona verdict, Spain's Socialist government announced plans to reform the criminal code to stipulate that a woman must give her explicit consent for sex but so far no changes have been made.

Marisa Soleto, head of the Women's Foundation pro-equality group, said in a tweet that the ruling in the Manresa case "was further proof of the need to change the law".

Altamira Gonzalo of the women jurists' group Themis said she felt "much shame and powerlessness" over the verdict.

Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who has revealed that she was almost raped on two separate occasions in her youth, said the court ruling was "outrageous" and the product of a "patriarchal judiciary".

"I'm not a judge and I don't know how many years in prison they deserve but what I know is that this is not abuse, it is rape!" she tweeted.

Women's groups and legal experts demanded Friday that Spanish law be changed after five men accused of gang-raping an 14-year-old girl were convicted on a lesser charge of sexual abuse on the grounds the unconscious victim did not fight back.

Women's groups and legal experts demanded Friday that Spanish law be changed after five men accused of gang-raping an 14-year-old girl were convicted on a lesser charge of sexual abuse on the grounds the unconscious victim did not fight back. A Barcelona court on Thursday ruled out the more serious charge of sexual assault -- the legal equivalent of rape in Spain -- on the grounds that the victim was in an "unconscious state" from drugs and alcohol and that the accused had not used "any type of violence or intimidation" in the attack. "She did not know what she was doing and, therefore, could not decide whether to accept or oppose the sexual relations she had with the majority of the accused," the court said. The five men were handed between 10 and 12 years in prison. A conviction for sexual assault would have carried jail sentences of between 15 and 20 years. Two other defendants were acquitted of involvement in the attack which took place in October 2016 at a party in an abandoned factory in the town of Manresa in the northeastern region of Catalonia. The court also ordered the men to pay the victim 12,000 euros ($13,500) in compensation, describing the assault as "extremely intense and especially degrading". "The problem is not the verdict, it's the criminal code" which states that intimidation or violence must be proven for a person to be convicted of rape, said Montserrat Comas of the progressive Judges for Democracy association in Catalonia. Spain's laws must be changed to define rape as all sex without consent, as is the case in most other European nations, she told news radio Cadena Ser. It is also required by the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty on preventing and combating violence against women which Madrid ratified in 2014, she added. "The facts are especially horrendous because we are talking about a 14-year-old minor," Comas said. 'Outrageous' The case has been likened to the so-called "Wolf Pack" gang rape of a young woman in Pamplona in July 2016 during the northern city's famed bull-running festival which also sparked outrage. In 2018, five Spanish men were first sentenced to nine years in prison for sexual abuse, in that case, leading to widespread protests and calls for a review of Spain's rape laws. In June, the Supreme Court increased the sentences to 15 years after upgrading their charges to sexual assault. Following the initial Pamplona verdict, Spain's Socialist government announced plans to reform the criminal code to stipulate that a woman must give her explicit consent for sex but so far no changes have been made. Marisa Soleto, head of the Women's Foundation pro-equality group, said in a tweet that the ruling in the Manresa case "was further proof of the need to change the law". Altamira Gonzalo of the women jurists' group Themis said she felt "much shame and powerlessness" over the verdict. Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who has revealed that she was almost raped on two separate occasions in her youth, said the court ruling was "outrageous" and the product of a "patriarchal judiciary". "I'm not a judge and I don't know how many years in prison they deserve but what I know is that this is not abuse, it is rape!" she tweeted.

Outrage in Spain over verdict in gang sex attack on teen

Thousands of people of conitnued protests for the third consecutive day in Pamplona, Spain against the gang rape accused sentence by the court.

According to reports at least 35,000 people marched in streets as they raised slogans like "it's not sexual abuse, it's rape''. The police informed media that the protests remain peaceful.

In 2016 during the Spain's famous bull running festival&nbspfive men allegedly gang-raped an 18 year-old woman. However the court has setenced them for sexual abuse which is a lesser offence under Spanish law than the gang rape.&nbsp

They also shot a video of the incident and posted on their whatsapp group name&nbsp'La manda' an english translation is "the wolf pack".

On Thursday the court of Navarre region in Spain setenced all five accused to nine years in prison for ''a continued crime of sexual abuse'' promoting massive protests across the country including&nbspBarcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Pamplona and Alicante.

According to a report&nbspby the Spain's daily prosecutors had sought 22 years of sentence for each accused with more serious charges.

The public outcry has also led spain's&nbspgovernment to consider changes in their rape law.

The sexual abuse laws of Spain are much lighter in nature as they do not inlcude violence or intimidation.

For a person to be accused of rape, an evidence of violence or intimdation must exist for the offence to be proved prompting a painful debate of how much victim should fight with out getting killed and still get recognised as victim.

However, media reports say that the video which was found in accused phone the victim is seen protesting mildly as she felt trapped and was afraid.

The demonstrators has called the court's verdict a stepback for women's security.

A petition seeking disqualification of the judges who ruled the decision is also circulating online and has gathered 102 million signatures so far.

The victim is said to&nbspappeal further in the&nbspcase.

 
&nbsp

According to reports at least 35,000 people marched in streets as they raised slogans like 'it's not sexual abuse, it's rape'. The police informed media that the protests remain peaceful

Thousands of people of conitnued protests for the third consecutive day in Pamplona, Spain against the gang rape accused sentence by the court. According to reports at least 35,000 people marched in streets as they raised slogans like "it's not sexual abuse, it's rape''. The police informed media that the protests remain peaceful. In 2016 during the Spain's famous bull running festival&nbspfive men allegedly gang-raped an 18 year-old woman. However the court has setenced them for sexual abuse which is a lesser offence under Spanish law than the gang rape. They also shot a video of the incident and posted on their whatsapp group name 'La manda' an english translation is "the wolf pack". On Thursday the court of Navarre region in Spain setenced all five accused to nine years in prison for ''a continued crime of sexual abuse'' promoting massive protests across the country including&nbspBarcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Pamplona and Alicante. According to a report&nbspby the Spain's daily prosecutors had sought 22 years of sentence for each accused with more serious charges. The public outcry has also led spain's&nbspgovernment to consider changes in their rape law. The sexual abuse laws of Spain are much lighter in nature as they do not inlcude violence or intimidation. For a person to be accused of rape, an evidence of violence or intimdation must exist for the offence to be proved prompting a painful debate of how much victim should fight with out getting killed and still get recognised as victim. However, media reports say that the video which was found in accused phone the victim is seen protesting mildly as she felt trapped and was afraid. The demonstrators has called the court's verdict a stepback for women's security. A petition seeking disqualification of the judges who ruled the decision is also circulating online and has gathered 102 million signatures so far. The victim is said to&nbspappeal further in the&nbspcase.

Spain: More than 30,000 people protest against Pamplona gang rape