EH Bildu has announced an agreement with the PSOE to extend the application of the Democratic Memory Law until the end of 1983 to recognize and compensate the victims of Human Rights violations committed in Spain since the Franco dictatorship up to five years after its approval of the Constitution. The extension of this period will involve covering the victims of police torture and the first years of action of the GAL.
This agreement has been closed within the framework of the negotiation of the Democratic Memory Law and, thanks to it, the coalition government of PSOE and United We Can take a crucial step in its objective of approving a bill that has resisted it since long ago due to the criticism of his parliamentary partners, who considered that it was incomplete. Right now it has the support of the PNV, EH Bildu, PDeCAT, Más País, Compromís and other minority parties, with which it secures a majority, but it is still pending to attract ERC as well. In the presentation, held today, the Republicans and Junts have abstained. Next week the rule will go to the Constitutional Commission and will be approved on July 14 in plenary.
One of the central points of the Socialists’ pact with EH Bildu is the extension of the application of the new Memory Law to the first five years of the democratic period in Spain, when the PSOE was already in government after the historic victory of Felipe González in 1982. The Abertzale left considers that those five years, in which the UCD governed most of that time, are a “post-Francoism” stage.
The amendment accepted by the PSOE reads as follows: “The Government, within a year, will designate a technical commission to prepare a study on the cases of violation of human rights of people for their struggle for the consolidation of democracy, the rights fundamental and democratic values, between the entry into force of the 1978 Constitution and December 31, 1983, indicating possible ways of recognizing and repairing them.”
The choice of the date of 1983 is not accidental, since it was that year when the GAL kidnapped, tortured and murdered Lasa and Zabala. It is the most representative crime of the “dirty war” against ETA.
The PSOE has avoided being categorical about the implications that the extension of application of the law will have until 1983 and has asked to be “cautious” until seeing how the “definitive” wording of the law will turn out. In any case, the socialist spokesman, Héctor Gómez, has pointed out that it is important to “advance”, “clarify” and “deepen” in a “rigorous” manner in this temporary framework because the objective of the law is to “reestablish” and prevent certain situations are repeated.
The EH Bildu spokeswoman, Mertxe Aizpurua, has announced four more agreements with the PSOE. One has to do with the creation of an “independent commission” made up of experts to open an investigation to clarify the human rights violations committed in Spain during the Franco dictatorship by receiving testimonies, information and collecting documents.
This commission will be in charge of preparing a report in which there will be conclusions and recommendations to guarantee the official recognition and reparation of the victims.
Another of the agreements is to include in the Memory Law some explicit statement to underline the “illegality and illegitimacy” of the Francoist courts constituted after the 1983 coup, as well as to emphasize the “nullity” of their resolutions and sentences.
The Basque independentistas have decided that the Fort of San Cristóbal, located in Pamplona, will become a “place of memory” through a collaboration agreement with the Foral Government of Navarra to carry out activities aimed at the recovery of democratic memory. This facility was used as a Francoist prison during the war and “thousands” of political prisoners passed through it. On May 22, 1938, there was a massive escape of 795 inmates in which 207 of them were killed. To this day, there are about 150 who remain buried in unknown whereabouts.
In addition, in another amendment, the transfer of the facilities of the Palacio de la Cumbre to the City Council of San Sebastián has been agreed. This space was the headquarters of Franco’s institutions, Franco’s summer residence or the place where Lasa and Zabala were tortured.
The PNV has revealed that it will also vote in favor of the bill after having closed different agreements with the Government. One of those that Aitor Esteban has emphasized the most is to allow the consultation of archives and documents in a freer way with a change that will prevent the Historical Heritage Law from acting as a “stopper”. He has also quoted, without specifying more. that there are issues that have to do with the street.
From the PDeCAT, Ferran Bel has agreed to recognize the linguistic and cultural persecution during the Franco regime in Catalonia, the Basque Country or Galicia.
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