The Association for the Defense and against Animal Abuse Lanzarote (ADEMAL) has publicly stated that it has been hindered" by Justice in its attempt to defend abused animals. Specifically, in a press release, it pointed out the "leniency and irregularity" of a recent sentence that condemned a resident of Lanzarote for mistreating several dogs in Nazaret.
The events date back to April 2023, when the association filed a formal complaint with the Teguise City Council and Seproma, exposing "the deplorable conditions in which three dogs and several sheep were found on a farm" in the municipality. According to Ademal, the animals were "confined in unsanitary and unsupervised cages, suffered from malnutrition (there was no food and the little water there was was dirty) and suffered open wounds on their ears and skin".
The aforementioned complaint led to urgent action. According to what has been exposed, "they lived poorly in four cages full of excrement and urine in an illegal construction of blocks, pallets, metal bars and concrete of approximately 25 square meters".
Judicial procedure
Thus, it has been reported that "it is not until 2024 when a judicial procedure derived from the actions of Seprona is finally initiated." In said process, Ademal requested to appear as an accusation. "It is known that the purpose of private accusations in criminal proceedings is, among others, to request a sentence adjusted to the seriousness of the facts," they added. However, the Investigating Court number 4 of Arrecife "did not process said appearance", leaving Ademal's intervention in the procedure unresolved.
Represented by the animal rights lawyer Eloi Sarrió, Ademal filed a judicial appeal and denounced that he was prevented from appearing as a private prosecutor. What they understand as "a serious limitation of their capacity to participate in the judicial process and defend the interests of animals" and that "from the beginning of the process, they had to face obstacles and dissuasion from the Court to act as an accusation."
The association requested "the nullity of the proceedings" from the moment they were prevented from appearing, and requested full access to the judicial proceedings to exercise their right to defense. "Although it was partially successful in the resolution of the appeal, and this was upheld by the Court, it could only obtain access to the final judgment, the judicial procedure having been concluded," he added.
On May 27 of this year, the Investigating Court No. 4 of Arrecife, sentenced J.M.C.P. to four months of fine at a rate of six euros per day (a minor offense under article 340 bis 1) and eight months of disqualification for the possession of animals (accessory penalty for committing a minor offense under article 340 bis 4). According to Ademal, the judicial decision came after an agreement between the accused, who acknowledged the facts, and the Prosecutor's Office.
The Association for the Defense and against Animal Abuse of Lanzarote has added that this sentence was "agreed upon à la carte" and that "it is final." Meanwhile, it has defended that "for a single crime of animal abuse resulting in injuries, the minimum disqualification penalty for keeping animals is one year, and may be extended up to three years in the event of injuries, in contrast, in this sentence it is only eight months." As there were several abused animals, Ademal understands that "the imposed sentence has been considered insufficient."
"It is unacceptable that a sentence has been handed down in such an irregular manner in the face of such a serious case of animal abuse, and unfortunately, so frequent on this island of Lanzarote. The obstacles we have faced in appearing in the process reflect important deficiencies on the part of the Administration of Justice and, in the best of cases, a clear lack of commitment on the part of that court to the protection of animal rights." said Ademal's lawyer and director of Aboganimal, Eloi Sarrió Santana.
For her part, for Birgit Wenning as President of ADEMAL, she pointed out that: “Rain, snow or shine, despite everything, Adenak remains firm in its fight for justice for animals on the island of Lanzarote and will continue working to ensure that their rights are respected and protected both in the administrative and judicial spheres.”
