EQUALITY minister and government deputy president Carmen Calvo says her cabinet is 'very concerned' about Granada mum Juana Rivas' being remanded in custody pending the outcome of her appeal against a five-year sentence for 'kidnapping' her own children.
Sra Rivas fled her Italian husband Francesco Arcuri, whom she was living with on the island of Cagliari, with the couple's children, who are now aged four and 11.
She said she had reported him for repeated violence to a court in Cagliari, but the case has still not come to trial over two years later.
Arcuri reported her for kidnap and a court in Granada ordered her to hand her boys over to their father at a set meeting point, but Juana went on the run with the children.
Even though she has now caved in and allowed the boys to go back to their father, she has been sentenced to five years in jail, six years' loss of custody and ordered to pay compensation to Arcuri of €30,000.
Juana's solicitor has called the verdict 'institutional violence'.
Carmen Calvo says her government does not want Juana to go to prison until her appeal is resolved, which will not be until at least September, and has called for 'the children to be protected, above all'.
In Spain, governments are not permitted to criticise or act against verdicts passed in courts of law, meaning there is no way the socialist cabinet can overrule the sentence, even though it is clear they do not agree with it.
Protests have been staged in towns and cities across Spain and a petition on Change.org for her to be officially pardoned has been signed by 252,700 people.
It can be found by searching 'Juana' on the campaign site.
