The mother of a Spanish woman who died by euthanasia after a public battle over her right to end her life has launched a legal bid to identify men she claims were involved in alleged sexual assaults against her daughter.
Noelia Castillo Ramos, 25, died on March 26 at the Sant Pere de Ribes assisted living facility in Barcelona after being approved for assisted dying under Spain’s euthanasia law.
She became paraplegic after jumping from a roof in the aftermath of what she described as a traumatic ordeal involving alleged sexual assaults.
Her mother, Yolanda Ramos, announced on Thursday that she had filed two complaints with prosecutors in Barcelona and Tarragona demanding an investigation into the alleged attacks.
Represented by the Spanish Foundation of Christian Lawyers, Ramos is seeking to identify the alleged assailants using evidence from Noelia’s diary, which her daughter gave to her on the day she died.
Following Noelia’s death, Ramos said she gained access to evidence, including the diary, that had not previously been analysed.
In the diary, Noelia allegedly described being forced to have sex by a Pakistani national.
She also reportedly wrote about an incident in the town of Salou, Tarragona, where she claimed she was drugged, given alcohol and raped by three men.
The family had previously been unable to report the incidents because they lacked conclusive evidence.
In a video released alongside a statement from Christian Lawyers, Ramos explained that she was seeking justice because she believed it was what her daughter would have wanted.
“Noelia spoke about the rapes on television, and on the very day she died, she gave me her diary. When I read it, I understood many things,” she said.
Noelia’s case was closely followed in Spain because of her age, her family’s public campaign against her euthanasia request and the legal battle over whether she should be allowed to end her life.
Her request for euthanasia was approved in July 2024 by an independent body in Catalonia made up of doctors, lawyers and bioethics experts.
The body approved her request after assessments found she was suffering from a serious and incurable condition and experiencing severe, chronic and disabling suffering.
The procedure was later delayed after her father, supported by Christian Lawyers, launched a series of legal challenges.
Those appeals were rejected at several stages of the Spanish legal system, including by the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, allowing the euthanasia to go ahead.
A final attempt to halt the procedure at the European Court of Human Rights was also rejected just days before her death.
Spain’s euthanasia law came into force in 2021 and allows people who meet strict requirements to request assistance to die.
Government figures show 426 assisted dying requests were approved in 2024, the latest year for which data is available.
Noelia, who had been confined to a wheelchair since 2022, spoke openly about her decision and the suffering she said led her to request euthanasia.
“I want to go now and stop suffering, period. None of my family is in favour of euthanasia. But what about all the pain I’ve suffered during all these years?” she said in an interview on Spanish television before her death.
“I don’t feel like doing anything: not going out, not eating. Sleeping is very difficult for me, and I have back and leg pain.”
Speaking about her family, she added: “The happiness of a father, a mother, or a sister cannot be more important than the life of a daughter.”
In an interview broadcast on Spanish broadcaster Antena 3’s programme Y Ahora Sonsoles, Noelia described how she wanted to spend her final moments.
“I’ve told them how I want it to be. I want to die looking beautiful. I’ve always thought I want to die looking good. I’ll wear my prettiest dress and put on makeup; it will be something simple,” she said.
Her father sought to block her euthanasia through the courts, arguing that she suffered from mental disorders that could have affected her ability to make a free and conscious decision as required by law.
He also said there were indications she had changed her mind and that her condition did not involve “unbearable physical or psychological suffering”.
Noelia accused her father of failing to respect her wishes.
“He hasn’t respected my decision and he never will,” she said in her final interview.
Spain is one of a small number of European countries to legalise euthanasia following a 2021 law with strict requirements.
The legislation states that anyone of sound mind suffering from a “serious and incurable illness” or a “chronic and disabling” condition can request assistance to die.
Spain is among nine European countries with laws allowing people experiencing unbearable suffering to access assisted dying, although the criteria vary between nations.