One important thing about Luis Rubiales’ sentencing is whether he is going to jail or he will have to pay thousands of euros to compensate Jenni Hermoso, which is all he has in The World Cup kiss without consent was won by football players.
Importantly, it represents the end of impunity for this powerful man who believes himself beyond the law.
Rubiales’ sentencing reminds people that the law is the same for everyone.
Many will remember Hermoso as the “kissed person” rather than being the best striker ever as the Spanish women’s national team. As an iconic player, she scored more goals than any other woman in history and played a crucial role in changing Spain’s women’s football.
The superstar helped her country win the first Women’s World Cup at the end of her career at the age of 33.
When she handed her World Cup championship medal to her on August 20, 2023, she will have to live with it forever.
“My life has been on standby since that day,” Hermoso said during the Rubiales trial at the Spanish High Court in Madrid in early February.
Rubiares denied the best day of her life and deprived her of freedom.
Hermoso, who are on both sides of teammates Alexia Putellas and Irene Paredes, lifted the World Cup (Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
The trial lasted for two weeks. The judge made a judgment in less than one case.
Rubiales, 47, was convicted of sexual assault, but he and three other co-defendants – former Spanish women’s head coach Jorge Vilda, former Newcastle United forward and former RFEF sports director Albert Luque and former marketing director Ruben Rivera are not guilty Coercion. Prosecutors accused them of forcing Hermoso to agree to Rubiales’ version of the incident. They deny any misconduct.
Based on the reasons for the judgment, the judge fully trusted the testimony of Hermoso. “There is no reason or motivation, and her account of the facts is unreasonable, and the sole purpose is to harm rubiares,” the court statement said.
Rubiales was fined more than 10,000 euros (£8,289; $11,400), and a Spanish High Court ruling prohibited him from entering Hermoso within 200 meters and communicated with her for a year. He was also ordered to pay an additional €3,000 in moral losses and half of Hermoso legal fees.
In 2022, the law was passed in Spain, called the “solo” law (“Yes Yes Yes Yes”), indicating that sexual consent must be “clearly expressing the will of a person” and affirmatively affirmatively by default cannot be assumed or By silence assumption.
The new law no longer distinguishes between “abuse” or “sexual assault”, but rather distinguishes a wide range of crimes by determining that there is no need for violence or intimidation to commit sexual assault. This means a new sentence ranges from four to 12 years, and 6 to 12 years ago.
Despite some criticism as it means that sentences that have been reviewed and reduced have been reviewed and reduced, feminist organizations consulted sports Saying that victims often need is someone to believe them, not a larger sentence.
The judge’s verdict on Thursday is equivalent to Hermoso’s “I believe you”, which is in the most public environment and will be reported and broadcast globally. Rubiales wasn’t sent to jail, but what’s important to Hermoso was that she could finally feel people trusting her.
Rubiales outside the court of San Fernando de Henares (Oscar del Pozo/AFP via Getty Images)
This trial has given us a lot to think about, one of which is the repeated revival of the victims in court. When cross-examination of Hermoso, the defense attorney focused on the player’s behavior after Rubiales sexually assaulted her. They wanted the perfect victim, and he refused to celebrate the World Cup because of what happened. A person who can’t laugh or can’t attend parties. They wanted a victim, he just cried in the corner, it was not her fault.
On the first day of the trial, Hermoso impressed people in her testimony of the judge. She shows that she is a strong person who knows her or who follows her career knows herself, and she portrays an imperfect victim, of course in the eyes of a defense attorney. She was a victim and despite what happened, she and her teammates were once crowned as world champions.
Hermoso did not cringe before the invaders in court. She had the option to testify without Rubiares in court, but she refused. She sat outside the distance from the attacker, issued a statement and answered questions from his attorney, Olga Tubau. She even kept her concentration and kept calm on multiple occasions while Rubiales whispered and commented while talking.
“I don’t have to cry in the room or throw myself on the ground when the behavior happens to imply that I don’t like it (kiss),” Hermoso told the court. “At that moment, when I celebrate being a world champion, drinking and eating When I was happy and smiled because it was the biggest achievement of my life.”
Society often seeks perfect victims, those who act in ways that everyone wants them to act. The invaders may make mistakes, they are one person. But victims must act like victims or they will be publicly discredited.
If this trial tells us that a woman can be sexually assaulted and acted, but she still hopes to be considered a victim afterward, then we should always thank Jenni Hermoso.
The courage she showed will help those who follow.
(Top photo: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
