Irene Montero lashes out against Raúl Asencio's acquittal for the sex video: "Do it, nothing's going to happen"

The Podemos MEP and former Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, lashed out this Friday against the acquittal of Real Madrid footballer Raúl Asencio in the case of the sexual video recorded without consent in Gran Canaria. The leader warned of the message that, in her opinion, the outcome of the process leaves for women who suffer a violation of their privacy.

"Raúl Asencio disseminated a sexual video of a minor girl without consent, but ends up acquitted because 'he apologized'," Montero wrote. "The reality is that most men, especially if they have power, manage not to take responsibility. The message is: do it, nothing will happen," she added.

In a more extensive reflection disseminated on her social networks, the Podemos leader focused on the wear and tear endured by the two victims during the three years since the events. Montero recalled that both have had to face public questioning, accusations of lying, and reproaches for harming a footballer's career.

"Who wants to spend years like this? Who can bear it? To be doubted by judges, the media, some politicians, many men. Who would want to expose themselves to such torture?" she asked. The two young women explained during the hearing that their decision to forgive was free and voluntary. One of them specified that she wanted "this to be over now".

The forgiveness that closed the accusation

Asencio's acquittal was dictated this Thursday by Magistrate Virginia Peña, head of Plaza number 5 of the Criminal Section of the Court of Instance of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The conformity sentence is final after all parties waived their right to appeal.

The resolution declared it proven that the defender received the recording and showed it to a third person, knowing that it had been captured without permission and that one of the young women was a minor. Asencio was accused solely of a crime of discovery and revelation of secrets. The express and unconditional forgiveness of the two victims extinguished the accusation for that crime and led the Prosecutor's Office to withdraw the charges against him.

The acquittal thus derives from the legal effect of the pardon and the subsequent withdrawal of the accusation, while the conduct of having shown the file appears in the proven facts. Asencio thanked those affected for having forgiven him and then publicly celebrated a resolution that, he affirmed, has put "things in their place."

The other three defendants, former Real Madrid youth players Ferran Ruiz, Juan Rodríguez Lima and Andrés García Moreno, accepted one year in prison for distribution of child pornography. The sentence has been suspended on the condition that they do not reoffend and complete a sexual re-education course. They must also respect two years of restraining order and will be disqualified for three years from working in activities that involve contact with minors.

Montero has linked the victims' decision to the emotional and social cost that accompanies many reports of sexual violence. The MEP has recalled the words of the Prosecutor for Violence against Women, María Eugenia Prendes, about women who say they would not report again after going through a judicial process.

"Because of cases like this, many women remain silent before men with power and money," she maintained. Her reflection ends with the two messages that, in her opinion, both receive: "For us, it's your fault and shut up. For them, do it, nothing will happen".