Josefa Hernández has finally entered prison this Monday. Shortly before 3 in the afternoon, the 'grandmother of Fuerteventura' disembarked at the Playa Blanca dock and moved to the Tahíche penitentiary center in a vehicle provided by the Cabildo of Lanzarote. Accompanying her were, in addition to her daughter Minerva, political authorities such as the president of the Cabildo of Majorera, Marcial Morales, or the mayor of Betancuria, Marcelino Cerdeña. The spokespersons for Podemos in the councils of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, Carlos Meca and Andrés Briansó, have also come with her. At the gates of Tahíche she was received by a mob of media, political representatives of the island and people who had traveled there to show their support.
This 63-year-old woman with five family members in her care who has been sentenced to 6 months in prison for not demolishing her house, which is located in a protected area, has thus entered prison three days later than planned. She was supposed to do it last Friday, but her state of health prevented her. Now, in the midst of a wave of solidarity and outrage that has involved political parties, institutions, social groups and the citizens themselves, Josefa has finally entered prison, although according to her daughter Minerva, she does so with the "hope" of obtaining a pardon.
That act of grace has already been requested by a multitude of sectors. First it was Josefa's daughter, Minerva Zerpa, who sent the request to the Minister of Justice, Rafael Catalá, and started a signature campaign on the Change.org platform. That campaign has already collected more than 64,000 signatures, more than 25,000 this Monday morning alone. The Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Fuerteventura have joined the request for pardon, in addition to political formations such as Podemos on both islands and, in Lanzarote, also the PSOE, Somos Lanzarote and Ciudadanos, among others. The last to request her pardon has been the general secretary of the PP in the Canary Islands, Asier Antona, who has also assured that Minister Soria has contacted the head of the Justice portfolio to request it.
Thus, the family keeps alive the hope that this pardon will finally occur and Josefa can return with her children and grandchildren. The lawyer of the 'grandmother of Majorera' had also requested a suspension of the order to enter prison last Friday to try to delay her entry into prison. He has also filed an appeal, the procedure of which, he pointed out last Friday, "is extensive", since it is the Court that admits it, but the Provincial Court of Las Palmas must resolve it.
Josefa, for her part, declared this Monday morning that she was "anguished and worried", although she also indicated that "at the same time, already wanting to finish with all this". This is what she conveyed in statements to La Sexta, in which she also claimed to feel "tired" and disillusioned". "Because an injustice is being committed against me." "They put me between a rock and a hard place: either you fix your house or we take the children away. What would any grandmother, any mother, any father do in that situation? I have always said: give me another house to live in and I will give you this one, but having somewhere to put my grandchildren", concluded Josefa Hernández.