The paralyzed gang-rape victim who died by euthanasia in Spain on Thursday gave one final interview the day before — setting the record straight on rampant speculation over the trauma that resulted in the decision to end her life.
Noelia Castillo, 25, divulged that she’d been sexually assaulted three separate times — including the gang rape — over several years, leading to the suicide attempt that left her a paraplegic.
The first was by a then-current boyfriend, whom she dated for four years, while a second took place in a nightclub, where two men reportedly tried to abuse her, she said in the interview with “Y ahora Sonsoles” on Spanish TV channel Atena 3, Euronews reported.
The third assault, in an entertainment venue, involved three people and took place just days before she attempted suicide by jumping from a building in Oct. 2022, when she was 21.
Her interview dispels viral online rumors that she was gang-raped at a migrant shelter by foreigners — and that she was granted the right to euthanasia due to “depression.”
Castillo got the OK to end her life legally because she suffered from paraplegia, Euronews reported, citing clinical documents.
She was diagnosed with chronic depressive symptoms and an adjustment disorder with anxiety and depression, but psychiatric reports rule out a major depressive disorder that would impair her decision-making capacity.
Castillo was also diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder, Euronews reported.
Critics also raised questions about the extent of Castillo’s disability in the wake of her interview, as she was seen to be able to do certain activities with assistance.
Castillo’s suicide attempt saw her suffer a complete spinal cord injury at the L3 level, causing paraplegia, neuropathic pain, sensory impairment, incontinence, and the need for a catheter, as well as significant functional dependency, medical records show.
She also had limited mobility with a wheelchair and a very limited ability to walk indoors in adapted environments, the records show.
Castillo died by euthanasia on Thursday in Barcelona after a years-long court battle — including a fight led by her own father.
Her best friend made a last-ditch attempt to persuade Castillo to change her mind.
She was first admitted to a hospital in Tarragona following her suicide attempt and later underwent almost two years of intensive neurorehabilitation.
Ten months later, she applied for assisted dying.
In her statement to the court, Castillo said that she was suffering constant physical pain and impacts to her daily life.
The suffering was ruled persistent and incompatible with any significant functional recovery, and euthanasia was granted, despite her father’s opposition, documents show.
Under Spain’s 2021 law, any Spanish adult over 18 requesting euthanasia must be suffering from an incurable disease or “serious, chronic and disabling condition,” and the decision must be taken free of external pressure.
Critics claimed the Spanish state failed Castillo.
“The institutions that should have protected Noelia failed her. I refuse to believe that the state did not have the tools to give her care,” opposition party PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo wrote on social media.
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