The Human Rights and Democratic Memory Prosecutor of the State Attorney General's Office, Dolores Delgado, claimed this Tuesday in Ferrol the right of the victims of the Francoist dictatorship and their relatives to truth, justice, and reparation. At the same time, she emphasized that democratic memory constitutes "an expression of human rights" and that public administrations are obliged to guarantee those rights.
She made these statements during her visit to the Canido Memorial to the Victims of the Dictatorship, where she participated in a floral offering promoted by the Democratic Historical Memory Association. In her speech, she warned that, as long as an investigation is not carried out to clarify the facts and allow for the location of the disappeared persons, "there will continue to be victims in the present," a condition that, she pointed out, also extends to their descendants, as contemplated by the Democratic Memory Law.
The prosecutor emphasized that places of memory are "spaces of human rights" and maintained that democratic memory goes beyond any partisan stance. "This is not about politics, it is not about options; it is about the defense of human dignity and human rights," she stated.
Investigation and role of the Public Prosecutor's Office
Delgado recalled that victims have the right to an investigation and to obtain justice, and highlighted the role of the Public Prosecutor's Office in the application of the Democratic Memory Law. In this regard, she stressed that prosecutors and other public servants must commit to the search for judicial truth and act in service of human rights.
She also insisted that "we cannot be equidistant in the application of human rights," understanding that they are part of the dignity of individuals and are a guarantee to prevent past violations from being repeated.
During her speech, she thanked the work carried out for decades by memorial associations, which she attributed a key role in preserving the memory of the victims and supporting institutions. She also demanded respect for the memory of the 904 people whose names are recorded in the Canido Memorial, reminding that they were "murdered, disappeared, repressed, or retaliated against."
Conference and recognition of Ferrol
In the afternoon, Delgado will offer at the Torrente Ballester Cultural Center in Ferrol the conference titled "The right of victims of the dictatorship and their families to obtain judicial reparation," also organized by the Democratic Historical Memory Association.
Before the talk, the prosecutor referred to the process for Ferrol to be declared City of Memory, a recognition that she considered a form of reparation for the victims. She pointed out that the municipality has numerous spaces linked to democratic memory and highlighted the effort of Ferrol's civil society to keep that legacy alive.
Likewise, she reiterated that the Democratic Memory Law has granted the Prosecutor's Office a central role in processing files related to the victims of the dictatorship, and defended that the recognition of truth and the recovery of memory are fundamental components of justice, even when it is no longer possible to pursue the facts criminally.