Two women who worked for the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias denounced before the Spanish Justice alleged cases of sexual harassment and assault occurred in 2021with the aim that other women are encouraged to report and not suffer similar abuse again.
This was announced this Wednesday by Amnesty International (AI) in a statement sent to the agency EFE.
The complainants, represented by the organization Women’s Linkmaintain that between January and October 2021 they were victims of “multiple and different forms of violence (sexual, psychological, physical and economic).”
All this happened while They worked on the artist’s properties in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamasaccording to AI based on the complaint filed on January 5.
According to their testimonies, Iglesias would have sexually assaulted and harassed them, regularly checked their mobile phones, restricted their freedom of movement and subjected them to work days of up to 16 hours a day, without a contract or days off.
One of them worked as a domestic worker and the other as a physiotherapist.
Julio Iglesias: possible crimes of trafficking and sexual assault
Amnesty International indicated that the facts were brought to the attention of the Spanish Prosecutor’s Office because they involved conduct that “could constitute a crime of trafficking in human beings for the purposes of imposing forced labor and servitude.”
These are also crimes against sexual freedom and indemnity, injuries and violations of labor rights.
According to the organization, The complainants remained silent for almost five years for fear of reprisals professionals, the absence of safe reporting channels and a culture that historically discredits survivors of sexual violence.
One of the women explained that she decided to report “for justice”, both for herself and for other workers who, she stated, continue to work in the singer’s homes.
“I want to tell them to be strong, to raise their voices, to remember that he is not invincible,” he declared, according to AI.
The other complainant assured that her purpose is that “no woman will suffer this type of abuse again” and stressed that women are “victims and survivors, not guilty.”
Stories of systematic violence
The testimonies describe sexual assaults that would include penetration without consent, slaps, humiliation and systematic workplace humiliation.
one of the women He described Iglesias’ residence in Punta Cana as “the little house of terror”where the singer, who was 77 years old when the events occurred, spent part of his time.
They also stated that they were forced to undergo regular medical tests, such as gynecological examinations, pregnancy tests, and tests to detect sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
The former workers provided employment documents, photographs, recordings, WhatsApp messages, call records and requests for immigration permits from the artist to the governments of Spain, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic, according to a journalistic investigation published by elDiario.es and Univision News.
So far, Julio Iglesias has not responded to attempts to contact the media or his legal representatives.
Political and public reactions
The allegations have generated divided reactions. An old friend of the singer, Jaime Peñafiel, described the accusations as “absolute lies,” while journalist Miguel Ángel Pastor claimed to have never heard similar insinuations about Iglesias, according to the BBC.
In contrast, The Spanish Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo, expressed her desire for the case to be investigated “until the end” and recalled that “when there is no consent, there is aggression.”
Ione Belarra, leader of Podemos, asked to break “the silence” in cases of sexual assault committed by “famous attackers protected by their money.”
For her part, the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, expressed her support for the artist and rejected what she described as a “lynching” against “the most universal singer” in Spain.
Iglesias’ biographer, Ignacio Peyró, and the publishing house Libros del Asteroid announced that they will update the biography published last year to include the accusations and expressed their “support and solidarity with the victims.”
