Democratising and decolonising Spain: the limits of the new law on memory
On 21 October 2022, the Democratic Memory Law (Ley de Memoria Democrática) entered into force in Spain. The law seeks to fulfil the rights of victims of the 1936 to 1939 civil war and the ensuing Francoist dictatorship that lasted until the death of Francisco Franco in 1975. It builds upon the rights to truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence, as recommended in various UN reports, including by former Special Rapporteur Pablo de Greiff and by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
While the new law is an important step forward in relation to its predecessor, the 2007 Historic Memory Law (Ley de Memoria Histórica), it still falls short in key areas.… Seguir leyendo »