The Diplomat
National Court Judge Santiago Pedraz yesterday ordered the two Spanish women married to jihadists who have been repatriated to Spain from refugee camps in Syria to be remanded in custody without bail.
The magistrate of the Central Court of Instruction Number 5 took this decision after the appearance of both of them. An international search and arrest warrant had been issued for them for alleged terrorism offences.
They are Yolanda Martínez, who has 4 children, and Luna Fernández, who has 5 children plus another 4 minors in her care. There is a third Spanish woman married to a jihadist who has not been located and therefore has not been returned.
In his order, Pedraz justifies his decision by pointing out that in the case of both of them there is a specific risk of absconding due to the serious crime attributed to them, as well as an “evident” risk of criminal repetition.
However, the judge understands that in this case, the precautionary suspension of parental custody of the minors is not appropriate, given that since unconditional imprisonment has been ordered “there is no potential risk of continuing with the possible indoctrination of the children”.
The magistrate’s decision thus differs from the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which, according to the prosecutors consulted, had requested both pre-trial detention and the suspension of parental authority over the children.
