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MADRID (AP) — Spanish prosecutors are filing an appeal against a court decision granting bail to five men acquitted of gang rape and convicted instead of sexual abuse, a lesser felony.
The bail decision for the men, like their nine-year prison sentence handed down last April, brought an outcry in Spain, with women's rights campaigners and others complaining that the court was too lenient. Tens of thousands of people marched in protest against Thursday's bail ruling.
The court said it was granting bail while the men's appeals are considered. It said that, among other reasons, public pressure over the case meant there was no risk of them repeating their offense.
The prosecutors' office in the northern region of Navarra said Friday it was preparing an appeal to keep them in prison.
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