Lorraine Williamson
A woman has been killed in broad daylight in Figueres, just hours after her former partner was sentenced for mistreating her and banned from approaching her. The case has shocked Catalonia and renewed painful questions about how Spain protects women most at risk.
The 33-year-old victim died on Tuesday afternoon in Plaça Tarradellas, in the city of Figueres, Girona. Police arrested a 48-year-old man, reported to be her former partner, at the scene. The Mossos d’Esquadra are investigating the killing as a possible case of gender violence.
A killing after a fast-track court case
According to Spanish media citing the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Catalunya, the suspect had appeared in court the day before the killing in a fast-track case involving the same woman.
He reportedly accepted a six-month prison sentence for mistreatment. The court also imposed a restraining order of 250 metres and a ban on contacting the victim.
The case has caused particular alarm because the killing allegedly took place despite that order being active. RTVE reported that the man had a restraining order in force and had allegedly breached it on more than one occasion.
Why the case has caused wider concern
The Figueres feminicide case is not only being treated as a criminal investigation. It has also become a test of public confidence in Spain’s protection systems.
Restraint orders are designed to create a legal barrier between an aggressor and a victim. Yet campaigners have long warned that orders alone are not always enough, especially when risk can escalate quickly after a complaint, court appearance, or separation.
Cadena SER reported that the suspect had also been detained again for alleged injuries after the court case, before later being released. The killing happened later the same day.
Figueres holds a minute’s silence
Figueres town hall has called a minute’s silence in memory of the victim. Local officials have described the killing as a devastating act of male violence and urged people not to share images of the attack online.
The case has shaken the city, which sits in the Alt Empordà area of Girona and is better known internationally as the birthplace of Salvador Dalí. For residents, however, Tuesday’s killing has left a very different mark.
El País reported that the victim was a 33-year-old Honduran trans woman. Spanish law and official statistics on gender violence can involve complex categorisation, but the killing is being widely reported and investigated within the context of violence by a former partner.
Spain’s 016 helpline remains available
Anyone in Spain affected by violence against women can call 016. The service is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day. It also offers support via WhatsApp on 600 000 016, by email at 016-online@igualdad.gob.es, and through the official online chat.
The 016 service can advise victims, relatives, friends, neighbours, and professionals who are concerned about someone at risk. In an emergency, people should call 112.
A case now under close scrutiny
The investigation will now have to establish the full sequence of events, including the court decision, the alleged breaches of the restraining order, and the circumstances in which the suspect was free at the time of the killing.
For many people in Spain, the central question is already clear. A woman had gone through the justice system. A court order was in place. Yet she was still killed in the street.
That is why the Figueres feminicide case is likely to remain under close public and judicial scrutiny in the days ahead.