Cecilia Piris, lawyer for the Clara Campoamor association and representative of the popular prosecution, has declared that the sentence for the gender-based murder of Maialen Mazón has left a "bitter taste". Mazón, who was pregnant with twins, was murdered in 2023 by her husband in Vitoria. In the trial, the accused has been sentenced to 27 years in prison, a penalty far from the 45 years requested by the prosecution.

"It comes very cheap to kill 3 women and destroy a fourth," Piris denounced on COPE. The prosecution does not understand why aggravating factors of gender violence or cruelty were not considered, and believes the sentence "is not a sufficiently forceful response" to what happened.

The sentence has also applied an "ideal contest," meaning the murder and the two abortions are punished as a single act. This implies that the maximum penalty for murder (25 years) has been imposed, without adding penalties for the abortions.

For Piris, there was "sufficient consciousness, knowledge, and certainty in the aggressor's mind" to also kill those fetuses, deserving "an individualized penalty."

The Clara Campoamor association has expressed its "deep displeasure" at the dismissal of the gender aggravating factor. "It has greatly displeased us," admitted Piris, who does not understand why it was not interpreted that the crime occurred "in the context of a relationship of control, domination, and submission." The lawyer recalled that there was evidence of such domination, such as the aggressor "controlling Maialen's social media" and "controlling the couple's money."

In light of this situation, Piris has raised a deeper debate: the need to create a "specific type of femicide offense" in Spain, as already exists in Latin American countries. Current legislation requires proving that the crime is a "manifestation of structural inequality" for the gender aggravating factor.

The association is considering filing an appeal with the High Court of Justice of the Basque Country, although it is not a "simple decision." Piris pointed out that increasing a sentence through an appeal is "technically complicated" and would involve "making everyone go through this horror again."

Furthermore, the association will file a "formal claim" with the Basque Government for the "failure" in the victim's protection system. Piris recalled that Maialen's risk assessment, estimated as "extreme" by the Civil Guard, was rated as "low." "There is a responsibility on the part of the institution that had the obligation to protect her and did not do so adequately," she stated.