Elderly Madrid resident evicted in protest case to be allowed back home

An 87-year-old wheelchair user who was removed from her apartment in Madrid’s Retiro district last week will be allowed to move back, her lawyer said on Monday. The eviction, captured on video as the woman was taken out on a stretcher, sparked large-scale demonstrations in the capital, with tens of thousands marching and setting up tents in Puerta del Sol over the weekend.

Lawyer Beatriz Duro told reporters that the agreement reached with the landlord was a result of the social mobilization surrounding the case. > "If this agreement we have reached is signed, it will obviously be a better and happier outcome for everyone," Duro said, adding that she hopes the settlement could influence broader housing policy.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who described the eviction as a social tragedy, is seeking support for a pending housing reform at a Council of Ministers meeting. Critics say the draft legislation does not meet protester demands for stricter measures against abusive landlords or a rent freeze.