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INPRIMATU
The Basque Government approves the Bill on Historical and Democratic Memory
  • The Basque Government has approved the draft Law on Historical and Democratic Memory of the Basque Country, which will be debated in the Basque Parliament. The draft law aims to produce a report on the rights violated in the CAV from 1936 to 1978.
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The victims of the Civil War and the first Franco of 1936 will be the axes on which the Institute of Memory, Coexistence and Human Rights Gogora will revolve. On the other hand, the census of deaths, which is already underway, of the Civil War will be modified.

Repair and recognition

Further steps will also be taken to identify the remains of the victims and to investigate the signs of crime in them. The aim is to develop a partnership with the Ertzaintza, the Prosecutor's Office and the judicial bodies to "guarantee the right to justice". There are also a number of measures to “repair and recognise” family members: individualised recognition of the deceased, ensuring the suitability and viability of compensation, and establishing a day to remember and pay tribute to the victims of the military coup and dictatorship.

Educational material

To promote historical memory, the Gogora Institute will launch a project to consolidate the Documentation Centre, with an exhibition area and other outreach activities at the Institute. They also want to collaborate with the Department of Education in the development of didactic resources for the incorporation of historical memory in the study guide.

It is a question of establishing mechanisms to remove remnants of symbolism against historical memory and a system of fines will be put in place to penalise infringements committed against it. Serious crimes such as the destruction of mass graves or the concealment of documents could be punished by fines of between EUR 10,000 and EUR 150,000.

The Minister for Equality, Justice and Social Policies, Beatriz Artolazabal, has been in charge of giving these details.