State Department to investigate euthanasia death of rape victim in Spain
The Trump administration accused Madrid of “systemic human rights failures” after the euthanasia of 25-year-old Noelia Castillo.
The U.S. State Department has instructed the American Embassy in Madrid to begin investigating the circumstances surrounding the euthanasia of 25-year-old sexual violence victim Noelia Castillo.
According to reports leaked to the media, U.S. officials expressed “serious concerns” over the way Spanish law enforcement handled multiple sexual assaults, including gang rapes, the young woman suffered before her tragic death.
The State Department stressed that the procedure was carried out despite reports that, in her final hours, Noelia had “expressed hesitancy,” but those signals were ignored. “This case raises serious concerns about the application of Spain’s euthanasia law, particularly in cases involving psychiatric conditions and non-terminal suffering.”
U.S. officials also linked the tragedy to Spain’s liberal migration policy. In Washington, suspicions were voiced that Castillo’s attackers were of migrant background, and officials stressed that “mass and illegal migration is a human rights concern, and Spain’s facilitation of mass and illegal migration represents a dangerous threat to the rights and liberties of Spanish citizens, as well as broader regional and global security.”
Madrid responded immediately. Spanish Health Minister Mónica García called on President Trump to “stop sticking his nose” into the affairs of her country. She said Spain is a serious country with a solid healthcare system, and that euthanasia there is strictly regulated and approved by the courts.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Noelia Castillo, who had been paralyzed from the waist down after a suicide attempt in 2022, made use of Spain’s “right-to-die” law. The young woman had been deeply traumatized by abuse in a state care center. Her father waged an 18-month legal battle to block the euthanasia, but the European Court of Human Rights rejected his appeals.
