“Spain violates the Convention on Enforced Disappearance”

 with

Mr Baltasar Garzón
President of Baltasar Garzón International Foundation (FIBGAR), which works in defence of Human rights and Universal Juridiction Lawyer and General Manager of ILOCAD SL Counselor of the Human Rights Commission in the Argentine Chamber of Representatives

Baltasar Garzón International Foundation (FIBGAR) has submitted a shadow report to the one presented by Spain regarding its fulfillment of the Convention. The report deals with Spain’s violation of several of its articles. Through the ratification of this international treaty, “Spain is compelled to take all necessary measures to fulfill its obligations under the Convention, since its entry into force on 23rd December 2010”, it says.

Currently, there are still more than 150.000 enforced disappearance cases that have not been investigated nor have their authors been punished. Dozens of victims still ignore the fate of their relatives and the circumstances of their deaths. After the Supreme Court’s decision 101/2012 this situation has worsened, having the victims’ rights to truth, justice and reparation been flatly denied.

According to FIBGAR, Spain has totally abandoned the victims of enforced disappearances occurred during the civil war and Franco’s regime. In addition, it fails to fulfill its most basic prevention obligations under the Convention, as the introduction in its Criminal Code of the crime of enforced disappearance as an autonomous offence, which turns into an equal abandonment of the future victims of this terrible crime.