This article was published in 2018
A Navarre court has granted release on bail for the five men of the so-called Manada (wolf pack), with a dissenting vote against from one of the judges, according to El Confidencial. The five have been convicted of sexual abuse of an 18-year old woman during Pamplona's San Fermín festival in 2016. The men will be able to leave prison on bail of 6,000€ (£5,300, $7,000) until their appeals are heard.
As for conditions, they will have to appear in court every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They are also banned from entering the Community of Madrid, banned from communicating with the victim, have to hand over their passports and are banned from leaving Spanish territory without explicit permission.
The individual dissenting vote, from the court's chair, calls for their provisional detention to be extended indefinitely.
The five have been in custody since the day itself, 7th July 2016. In a fortnight, therefore, they will have served two years, the maximum time allowed in Spanish law without a firm sentence. This can be extended, however, by a court if deemed necessary to a maximum of half the sentence, so another two and half years in this case.
A controversial sentence
The sentence, released on 26th April, sparked controversy, acquitting the five of rape. The sentence was based on article 181 of Spain's Penal Code on sexual abuse, which says that ""whosoever, without violence or intimidation and without consent, carries out actions which infringe upon the sexual liberty or indemnity of another person will be punished, as guilty of sexual abuse, with the penalty of one to three years in prison or a fine of eighteen to twenty-four months".
One of the judges voted to completely acquit the five of all the charges against them, namely sexual assault, crime against intimacy and theft with intimidation. He proposed sentencing just one of them for a crime of robbery (for stealing the young woman's mobile) to pay a fine of 15€ daily for two months.
In his reasoning, the judge claimed that the victim "didn't express disagreement" and that, in his opinion, the videos recorded by the accused don't show "anything other than a crude and uninhibited sexual relationship between five men and one woman".
"If La Manada leaves [prison], we take the streets"
When news of the decision emerged, Towanda Rebels, formed of Teresa Lozano and Zua Méndez, known for their online video campaign "YoTeCreo" ("I believe you") in support of the wolf pack's victim, called on women to take to the streets. They tweeted: "If La Manada leave [prison], we take the streets. #TheStreetsAreOursToo #IBelieveYou After the presentation of our book, we'll go to the doors of the justice ministry".
Si #LaManada sale, nosotras ocupamos las calles #LasCallesTambienSonNuestras #YoTeCreo Después de la presentación del libro iremos a las puertas del ministerio de justicia
— TowandaRebels (@TowandaRebels) 21 de junio de 2018
The call was joined by Plataforma 8M which on International Women's Day (8th May) this year, brought millions of people in cities around Spain out into the streets to protest for women's rights.