The Prosecutor’s Office defends the investigation of the crimes of the Franco regime
The Prosecutor’s Office maintains its firm position in the investigation of crimes committed during the Franco regime. A Barcelona prosecutor has issued a favorable opinion for the complaint for torture to be processed at the Via Laietana Police Superior Prefecture, presented by the twin brothers Maribel and Pepus Ferrándiz to the Barcelona courts at the end of 2023. The Barcelona magistrate has requested the opinion of the public ministry to make a decision, and the prosecutor of the case, in coordination with the Prosecutor’s Office of Democratic Memory, has urged the magistrate to investigate these facts.
Research context
The complaint of the Ferrándiz brothers is the second presented to the courts of Barcelona after the approval of the Spanish law of Democratic Memoria 20/2022, which allows the investigation of the crimes of the Franco regime. This action is part of a wider context of defense of human rights and historical memory.
Previous and current reactions
Previously, trade unionist Carles Vallejo was the first to bring his torturers from the Via Laietana police station to justice after the passing of the Memory law. However, the head of the 18th District Court dismissed his complaint, arguing the validity of the Amnesty Law of 1977. Now, the Prosecutor’s Office defends that the Law of Democratic Memory exceeds the existing jurisprudence and orders to investigate the crimes committed during Franco’s dictatorship.
Complaint against Spanish police officers
The complaint by the Ferrándiz brothers is directed against four Spanish police officers, accusing them of torture during their arrest in 1971. This action seeks to bring justice and highlight the abuses committed during that period.
Claims and support
The complaint of the Ferrándiz brothers is part of the unitary campaign Via Laietana 43: let’s do justice, let’s remember, which calls for the police station to stop being a police space to become a center of memory and interpretation of torture and the repression Several entities and personalities, such as Òmnium Cultural and the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, support this initiative.
