The UN urges Spain to preserve historical memory in the face of the PP and Vox concord laws

Responds to the Government's complaint by warning of the danger of making invisible the violations committed during the Franco regime.

MADRID, 3 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The UN has urged the Government of Spain to "take the necessary measures" to preserve historical memory in the face of the concord laws passed by PP and Vox in Aragón, the Valencian Community and Castilla y León, claiming that they can "make invisible" the " serious violations of Human Rights" committed during the "Franco dictatorial regime."

This is what three United Nations rapporteurs have expressed in a report in which they responded to the complaint presented by the Government against the so-called "concord laws" that have been processed in three of the territories where PP and Vox govern in coalition. The central Executive raised the issue with the UN, considering that these regulations are "contrary" to the values ​​included in the Democratic Memory Law approved last legislature.

"The so-called 'concord' laws approved or presented for parliamentary approval in the autonomous communities of Aragón, Castilla y León, and Valencia, could affect the obligation of the Spanish State, including its powers and national or local entities, in matters of Human Rights. Human Rights, in particular the obligation to guarantee the preservation of the historical memory of serious violations of Human Rights," reads the UN document.

After analyzing the projects promoted by PP and Vox in these autonomous communities, the three rapporteurs have urged the Government of Pedro Sánchez to adopt "all necessary measures" to guarantee "strict respect for international standards of Human Rights in matters preservation of historical memory of "serious human rights violations."

As they explain, these laws "order the suppression of multiple entities, projects, websites and activities of historical memory" and can "lead to limits on access to the truth" about the fate or whereabouts of "the victims of serious human rights violations." and they can also "make invisible the serious violations of Human Rights committed during the Franco dictatorial regime, or fail to name or condemn said regime."

They also point to the importance of not discriminating between types of victims when recognizing and giving justice and reparation to them, although they point out that the laws of harmony could lead to assimilating the violations committed during the Franco dictatorship and the civil war " to a heterogeneous group of crimes or violations committed by different actors, state and non-state, throughout the 20th century in Spain", thus removing recognition from "the hundreds of thousands" of people killed in extrajudicial executions and forced disappearances committed during the regime of Francisco Franco.

For this reason, they have recalled that it is the duty of "all powers of the State", including the executive, legislative and judicial, as well as "all government entities" at the national, regional or local level, "to comply with the obligation to protect human rights, including the obligation to guarantee the historical preservation of the memory of serious human rights violations."

"We also reiterate that these measures must be aimed at preserving collective memory from oblivion and, in particular, preventing revisionist and denialist theses from arising. These laws, (proposed or approved) would hinder the right to know the truth and the right to freedom of association," the report states.

The signatories of the documents are the special rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition, Fabian Salvioli; the president of the Working Group on Forced or Involuntary Disappearances, Aua Baldé; and the special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz.

With this report, the United Nations responds to the complaint presented by the Government against the concord laws approved by PP and Vox in Aragón and that are being processed in Castilla y León and the Valencian Community.