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Spain’s Equality Ministry Seeks 350-Meter Minimum for Electronic Restraining Orders

The move responds to early‑2026 killings that highlighted weaknesses in Cometa's coverage, including alarm overload.

Overview

  • The ministry sent letters Monday morning to the General Council of the Judiciary and the State Prosecutor requesting stronger protections for victims of gender violence.
  • It proposes setting a minimum exclusion perimeter of 350 meters in cases with electronic monitoring where smaller distances are currently imposed to improve police response time.
  • Judges and prosecutors are urged to respond firmly to device misuse and restraining-order breaches, with systematic breach proceedings and claims for damages.
  • The letters cite operational strains in the Cometa system, including continuous alerts when an aggressor resides inside the exclusion zone and gaps where mobile coverage is insufficient.
  • These are recommendations pending uptake by judicial and prosecutorial authorities, issued after ten femicides so far in 2026—six with prior complaints—with the judiciary not yet publicly confirming receipt by early afternoon.