Fuerteventura holds a minute of silence for the gender‑based killing of Dolores in Burgos
A dozen representatives from Fuerteventura’s institutions, various equality‑focused groups on the island, and state security forces observed a minute of silence on Wednesday in memory of Dolores, a 58‑year‑old woman murdered in a gender‑based violence case in Miranda de Ebro, Burgos.
The ceremony took place in front of the Island Directorate of the General State Administration and was attended by the island’s director, María Jesús de la Cruz, alongside institutional representatives and members of equality organisations on Fuerteventura.
During the gathering, the institutional declaration of the Ministry of Equality was read by broadcaster and presenter Pilar López, conveying the “most emphatic condemnation” of this misogynistic killing and offering condolences to the victim’s family and friends.
The statement noted that this crime brings the total to 11 women killed by their partners or ex‑partners in Spain so far in 2026, and that since 2003, when the grim list began to be recorded, more than 1,350 women have been murdered due to gender‑based violence.
The Miranda de Ebro Crime
The murder occurred on the night of 10 March in Miranda de Ebro (Burgos) when a 60‑year‑old man, Dolores’s ex‑partner, allegedly set fire to the building where she lived by stacking mattresses and igniting them in the hallway. The blaze caused Dolores’s death and injured her 78‑year‑old mother, Antonia, and a 24‑year‑old neighbour, Laura Valentina.
The suspect later turned himself in at the police station and was detained as the alleged perpetrator of a crime being investigated as gender‑based violence.
Background of the Suspect
The detainee has an extensive criminal record. Among his past convictions is a six‑year prison sentence in 2017 for kidnapping a nine‑year‑old girl for 14 hours and sexually assaulting her.
In 2024 he was sentenced to one year and seven months in prison for detaining and chaining a woman in a residence, and he had previously been convicted of illegal detention and sexual abuse of a minor.
Minute of Silence to Condemn Machista Violence in Fuerteventura
The institutional declaration read in Fuerteventura emphasizes that machista violence is “a structural violence rooted in sexist discrimination, inequality, and the power imbalance between women and men,” and calls on institutions and citizens to continue the fight against this violence “with unity and firmness.”
“A machista violence is a structural violence sustained by sexist discrimination, inequality, and the imbalance in power relations between women and men.”
“We must continue the struggle against this violence from unity and firmness.”