Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction shook Spain, has died

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction on September 23 in Madrid sparked protests in favor of the right to decent housing in Spain, died this Wednesday after being hospitalized for fifteen days, according to a statement from the Tenants' Union.

Maricarmen's struggle, alongside the Tenants' Union, not to be evicted from the rental apartment where she had lived for 71 years, strengthened the protests that led to an encampment in Madrid's central Puerta del Sol and pushed the Spanish government to approve two decrees.

VIDEOS. Protestas y tensión en Madrid por el desalojo de Maricarmen, de 87 años: ¡No está sola!

These measures were subsequently repealed by Congress, which precipitated the early elections that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced last Monday.

"We regret to announce that Maricarmen has passed away today," stated the Tenants' Union in a press release, lamenting that "although a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return to her home, this solution came too late. An absolutely avoidable situation after a torturous process."