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INPRIMATU
In practice, the amendment of the Spanish Democratic Memory Law will not entail changes.
  • Historical memory associations warn that without repealing the 1977 Amnesty Act, crimes of Franco will not be prosecuted
Leire Artola Arin 2021eko azaroaren 19a
Amnistia Legea indargabetzeko eskatu dute memoria historikorako elkarteek. / Argazkia: Euskal Memoriaren Artxiboa.

The PSOE and the United Nations We Can Announce on Wednesday that the amendment of the Democratic Memory Act would make it possible to judge the crimes of Franco, as the cases could not be prescribed and judged according to international law. But in practice, nothing will change. On Thursday, the Socialist Minister of Democratic Memory, Félix Bolaños, acknowledged in Onda Cero that the Spanish legal situation will be the same as soon as the law is applied: “Things can be done that can be done since 2002.”

Josu Ibargutxi, a member of the Francoist Crime Platform, has explained to the Naiz website that it is "contradictory" to maintain the 1977 Amnesty Law and, at the same time, to adopt several amendments aimed at not prescribing or amnesty war crimes, against humanity, genocides and torture. He explained that in order for the amendments proposed by the government to have real value, the Amnesty Law must be repealed, at least in the second article. However, Ibargutxi has transferred to Berria that the correction of the law is “a step forward” and that it has “great symbolic value”: “This amendment is on the right track”.

They will require a majority of votes

The Spanish Government will have to negotiate the amendments to the Democratic Memory Act in order to obtain the majority needed to approve and approve them. ERC Parliamentarian Gabriel Rufián has accused the PSOE and the United Nations from the outset. We can “deceive” citizens and “sell smoke”. Rufián has asked for an amendment to the Amnesty Law, but has assured that the PSOE does not want to do so because: “It would be to accept a mistake made over 40 years ago.” In any event, it has shown its willingness to negotiate with the Basque Government if it deems it appropriate.