The mother of a 25-year-old Spanish woman who died by euthanasia after years of chronic pain has launched a legal bid to identify and prosecute the men her daughter alleged sexually assaulted her. Noelia Castillo died in March after a two-year legal battle over her right to access euthanasia in Spain. The 25-year-old became paraplegic and suffered severe, persistent pain after attempting to take her own life in 2022—an act she said came just days after she was allegedly gang-raped. Now, her mother, Yolanda Ramos, has filed a complaint with prosecutors after reading a diary her daughter entrusted to her on the day she died.
Diary handed over before death
Ramos said the diary contains detailed accounts of a series of alleged sexual assaults and helped explain much of the trauma her daughter had endured. She said she believes her daughter wanted those responsible to be brought to justice. “I have decided to report the men who caused my daughter so much harm,” Ramos said. “I am doing this because I feel it is what she wanted.”
Allegations made publicly
Before her death, Castillo spoke publicly in television interviews about the abuse she said she had suffered. She alleged she was raped by a former partner after taking sleeping tablets, sexually assaulted by two men at a nightclub, and later gang-raped by three men in the coastal town of Salou. According to her account, the alleged gang rape took place just three or four days before she attempted to take her own life.
Calls for investigation
The legal complaint has also received backing from Christian Lawyers, a conservative organisation which previously supported Castillo’s father during court proceedings seeking to prevent her euthanasia. The group has now called on prosecutors to investigate the allegations made before her death. Ramos said she felt compelled to act after her daughter gave her the diary. “Noelia spoke about the rapes on television, and on the very day she died, she gave me her diary,” she said. “I feel that my daughter wanted the whole truth to come out someday. That’s why I’ve decided to go to the Prosecutor’s Office, because I can’t just stand idly by.”
One of Spain’s youngest euthanasia cases
Castillo is believed to be among the youngest people in Spain to die through euthanasia since assisted dying became legal in the country in 2021. Authorities have not announced any charges in connection with the allegations, and it remains unclear whether any criminal proceedings will follow. Investigations are now expected to consider the evidence provided by Castillo’s family, including the contents of her diary.
