The trial and the sentence
Since the military court handed down the death penalty sentence for Salvador Puig Antich, on January 9, 1974, neither he nor his family had too many illusions. He was accused of taking the life of a police sub-inspector at the time of his arrest, on September 25 before. Since he was interned in Model Prison, his situation had only worsened.
The wait and the anxiety
The deadly attack on Admiral Carrero Blanco had left the regime starving and eager for revenge. The passage of the Puig Antich case to the military jurisdiction did not bode well. He made sure that the captain general of Catalonia had asked for “resolute captains” to form the tribunal. Since January 9, the wait was focused on each council of ministers, which had to receive the sentence and put the final decision in the hands of the dictator, General Franco: to change it or limit yourself to giving the cynical informed , leaving free way to the execution. This is how the last hours of Salvador Puig Antich passed.
I know and the last moments
Model Prison Fifth gallery Cell 443. It is already more than 9 in the evening when Puig Antich is informed of the news of the council of ministers. It is done in the presence of his lawyer, Oriol Arau. The impact is obvious. The Spanish government was aware of the scope of the moment. That’s why they didn’t even want to leave room for pressures and mobilizations. The press conference of the Minister of Information and Tourism, Pío Cabanillas, to report on the council of ministers, was delayed until close to ten at night. It was not usual at all. According to Franco’s law, exactly 12 hours had to pass between the communication to the prisoner and the execution.
The last moments with the family
The lawyer immediately informs the MIL militant’s sisters. Three of them, Montserrat, Imma and Carme, go to prison. The youngest, Merçona, stays at home to keep her father company, a man of fragile health, who will not be told what has happened until later. The sisters telegraph the older brother, Joaquim, who lives in the United States, where he will be a prestigious psychiatrist. After the death sentence, Joaquim Puig Antich flew to Barcelona to see his brother. The meeting was very emotional.
The last moments of Salvador Puig Antich
Puig Antich spent much of that night talking to the sisters and the lawyer in a waiting cell. In penitentiary jargon, this period of time was called being in the chapel. The young anti-Franco activist keeps his composure and still allows himself some moments of humor in a few hours that will remain forever in the memory of Salvador’s sisters. When they ask him if he wants assistance from the priest of La Model, he asks that they call a Salesian religious from Mataró who was his teacher. The religious will present himself immediately and take Salvador’s side.
Desperate attempts to save him
Meanwhile, there is frantic movement at the Bar. Fighting against time, a group of lawyers call numerous personalities. There are attempts to contact the then German chancellor, Willy Brandt, in the Vatican (through former Minister of Education Ruiz Jimenez). Some relevant personalities of the country are called. Dr. Joaquim Puigvert, a prominent urologist who had treated Franco, is alerted and calls the Palau del Pardo. It was later said that if he had been warned much earlier, he could have been effective. These are things that have circulated with more or less basis.
The last moments
Around 8 o’clock, there is a moment of nerves when it seems that the execution may be moved forward. It’s a false alarm. Yes, it is true that the executioner has already arrived. He comes from Badajoz and has started to install the macabre club in a space of the prison. Around the center are police forces, by car and on horseback. Puig Antich still maintains a glimmer of hope. He knows that many people have moved intensely and at the highest level. He may not be fully aware that the most intense attempts to save him have been made too late. This time it will not be like in Burgos 1970, when international pressure to avoid 11 death sentences ended up making the regime retreat.
The execution
It is after 9 o’clock when the sisters, the Salesian and the lawyer are forced to leave. They are not allowed to be present at the execution. Puig Antich is handcuffed. It is then that he understands that all hope has been lost. He is quickly bound hand and foot and the executioner, behind him, begins to turn around with the sinister instrument. A few minutes later, it will be the Salesian who informs the people waiting outside, including several journalists, of Salvador’s death. Shortly after, his body would be transferred to the Montjuïc cemetery, where his family would bury him the following day. One of the great leaders of the anti-Franco movement had been born.