A fight for justice
Recently, the Constitutional Court, with a progressive majority, rejected the appeal of a victim of police brutality during the Franco dictatorship, arguing that the right to effective judicial protection of Francisco Ventura Losada was not violated. This individual was arrested in a demonstration in 1967, tortured and imprisoned for years, without a judicial investigation into the events being carried out, despite attempts. What type of judicial protection has Francisco Ventura had for police and judicial action during a dictatorship for acts that could only be criminal in that context?
In another case, that of the young Vallecano Ángel Almazán, who died as a result of beatings inflicted by the police in a demonstration in 1976, the Constitutional Court must also rule. Despite the approval of the Democratic Memory Law, it seems that this has not been enough to provide judicial coverage or protection to Spaniards who suffered repression during the dictatorship. Even with a progressive majority on the court, only 2 of the 7 members have expressed disagreement with the ruling that leaves Francisco Ventura without protection.
Limitations of the Democratic Memory Law
Despite the approval of the Democratic Memory Law, it seems that this has not been enough to provide judicial coverage or protection to Spaniards who suffered repression during the dictatorship. Even with a progressive majority on the court, only 2 of the 7 members have expressed disagreement with the ruling that leaves Francisco Ventura without protection. The law seems limited in its real scope to achieve effective reparation for the victims of Franco’s regime, without real legal or economic effects for those affected.
Questions about the effectiveness of the law
Despite the complaints from PP and VOX, the scope of the Memory Law is doubtful. The right-wing movements to annul the regional memory laws and replace them with “concord laws” are nothing more than attempts to safeguard Francoist legislation and sentences and to silence forever any information about the murderers and even about the victims. people who were murdered, about their memory, about their actions in search of a better world that cost them their lives.
The fight for dignity and justice
The dignity of the people who suffered during the dictatorship cannot be silenced. Despite attempts to annul regional memory laws, it is essential to recognize and repair the suffering of those who fought for freedom. Democratic justice must demand the annulment of the procedural farces through which thousands of compatriots were murdered and robbed with impunity. The historical memory of these victims deserves to be honored and repaired.
