The Central Government under the right-wing party, the PP, has blocked the release of confidential military documents dating between 1936 and 1968 – they were due for declassification in 2011.
The country’s historians are far from happy over this, so much so that 300 of them have written a letter of complaint to the Minister of Defence, calling on them to adopt a system of ‘transparency’ similar to other democratic countries.
The Government argues that the disclosure of such documents, which correspond to the Spanish Civil War and the years of the harshest repression by the fascist dictator, Francisco Franco, could damage relations between Spain and “third countries.”
In fact, this weak argument does not hold up against the right of the Spanish People to know what actions were decided upon during the Civil War, by whom, and why, as well as the majority of the Franco-regime period, many argue.
Editorial Comment: It is worth noting that the Partido Popular has refused on numerous occasions to condemn Franco’s uprising against a democratically elected government and the subsequent years of crushing oppression that followed the war.
Whilst both sides committed atrocious acts during the Civil War and thus one side cannot be condemned without condemning the other, the repression years during the 40’s and 50’s and into the 60’s are wholly reproachable and the Partido Popular should have the moral fortitude to condemn them and move on.
Until that happens, the PP will never be free of elements that not only feel open nostalgia for Franco’s regime, but whose membership forces them to adopt incomprehensible decisions, such as the one above.
(News: Spain)