The Spanish Congress of Deputies approved the reform of the law against sexual crimes promoted by the extreme left-wing partners of the ruling socialist government. The reform was supported by part of the opposition and approved with 233 deputies in favor, 59 against, and 4 abstentions. The Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, of the radical left-wing Podemos party, regretted the amendment of the law and accused the Socialists of President Pedro Sánchez of helping themselves to the votes of the opposition.
The reform approved by the deputies toughens some previously lowered penalties. The president of the government, Pedro Sanchez, went so far as to apologize for the law and its undesired effects in an interview published in the newspaper El Correo. The law, known as the “only yes is yes” law, came into force in October 2022 and, in six months, led to almost 1,000 sentence reductions for convicted sex offenders and more than 100 releases from prison, according to court data.
The sex offenses law was intended to toughen the previous law by eliminating the more minor “abuses” and converting all sex offenses to “assaults.” However, by modifying the sentencing ranges and lowering some minimum and maximum sentences, it led to revisions and reduced sentences. In Spain, new laws can be applied retroactively if they benefit the defendant, hence the flood of demands for review. The reform of the Penal Code led today by the PSOE aims to reverse the undesired effects of the sexual freedom law and also to repair the victims who have been affected, said Socialist deputy Andrea Fernandez in the plenary session. The socialists were supported by the main opposition party, the conservative Popular Party (PP), which criticized that “it has taken so long” to correct the error.