Spanish court jails mother who hid with sons in custody battle

A Spanish mother who went into hiding with her two sons rather than hand them over to their father, whom she accused of abuse, has been sentenced to five years in prison by a Spanish court.

Juana Rivas has also been stripped of custody rights for six years and told to pay hefty legal costs, reports BBC.

Spanish politicians and women’s groups have criticised the verdict.

The long-running custody battle has become a rallying point in Spain’s battle against gender violence.

What did Rivas do?
She took the boys, now aged 12 and four, from the family home in Italy in 2016, and travelled to Spain under the pretext of visiting family.

Instead of returning, she lodged a complaint in Spain alleging domestic abuse and later defied Spanish court orders to return the boys to their father.

“A woman running away from terror to protect her children can’t be deemed abduction,” she said last year.