She was also a political leader, leading a regional branch of the communist movement in the 1970s as well as the pro-independence nationalist leftist coalition, the Castilian Left, from 2002 to her death in 2016.

Her father was José María Benegas Echeverría, an exiled Basque Nationalist politician, who fled Spain in 1939 following the victory of General Francisco Franco in the Spanish Civil War.

Her legal work was mainly in criminal law, and in cases concerning gender violence, abortion, drug trafficking and defending leftist political activists.

About 400 people gathered at the village of Villalar de los Comuneros, and were violently dispersed by the Guardia Civil.

[4] In 2012, Benegas was arrested on suspicion of organising an anti-government demonstration, Rodea el Congreso (Surround the Congress).

In September 2014, she and Luis Campo sued the government delegate in Madrid, Cristina Cifuentes, and the Director General of Police, Ignacio Cosidó, for banning the display of republican symbols during King Philip VI's proclamation.

[6] His son (Doris' nephew) is the Spanish musician and songwriter Pablo Benegas, guitarist in the group La Oreja de Van Gogh.

[11][12] Their sister Ana Benegas was also a songwriter[6] The Basque nationalist politician Iñaki Anasagasti, also born in Venezuela, was a family friend in the 1950s.