• Proposal bolsters 2007 law, creates ‘Truth Commission’ on Franco-era abuses •
Spain may finally get a ‘Truth Commission’ to examine rights abuses committed during the Spanish Civil War and 37-year Franco dictatorship that followed, if a legislative proposal submitted to Congress last week can gather 500,000 signatures to move forward with reform of the country’s 2007 Historical Memory Law.
The proposal calls for standardization of procedures in locating and examining the gravesites of those executed by forces loyal to Gen. Francisco Franco during the civil war, formation of a national ‘Truth Commission’ to examine the atrocities committed during the war and its aftermath and the removal of all pro-Franco symbols from public view — including Catholic churches and Catholic cemeteries that have to date refused to follow guidelines set down in the 2007 law. The legislation would also place special emphasis on the investigation of human rights abuses and summary executions of women and homosexuals during the war and under the Franco regime that followed.
The proposal now will go through a lengthy legislative process, with the approval of the federal Electoral Commission first needed in order for campaigners to begin collecting the requisite 500,000 signatures over a period of nine months. Once the signatures are collected, the proposal can move to the full body of Congress for debate and promoters of the reform hope to have the legislation in place by end-2017.
► Read More in Spanish at La Sexta Noticias and El Periódico de Aragón …
► Read Full Text of Proposed Legislation in Spanish via Nueva Tribuna, here …
