Civil society organisations denounce to the UN that Spain is in breach of the Convention against Torture
Civil society organisations present orally before the UN Committee against Torture the contents of a report that shows serious deficiencies and human rights violations in Spain A group of civil society organisations, including the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights (Centre per la Defensa dels [...]
First breach in the wall of impunity for the crimes of Franco's regime
After 6 years of struggle in the Spanish courts and 100 complaints filed, the first declaration of a victim of Franco's torture in a Spanish court has been made The social organisations urge the public authorities and political parties to adopt all the necessary measures to ensure that this exceptional event ceases to be an exception to the rule of law.
The expert report on Silvia, a migrant woman assaulted by Ertzaintza police officers, is accepted.
Bypassing the principles of the United Nations “Convention against Torture”, Silvia had been prevented from providing her defence with the Istanbul Protocol drawn up by the Sir[a] Centre, which accredits the abuses The Provincial Court finally admitted yesterday during the trial, the expert report drawn up by the Sir[a] Centre on Silvia. A resident of Getxo, [...]
Sira provides expertise to a victim of obstetric violence in Spain, who brought her case to the UN
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women agreed with her and urged Spain to adopt measures to eradicate obstetric violence. We found post-traumatic symptoms, caused both by the experience of profound helplessness during childbirth and by the lack of recognition from institutions […]
Sira appears in Parliament to talk about the impact of police infiltrations
After having accompanied and assessed virtually all of the affected individuals, Pau Pérez Sales, on behalf of the organization, explained the nature of the harm. 70% of the women assessed had suicidal thoughts after discovering the infiltrations. Pau Pérez Sales appeared last Thursday, February 15th, before the “Comissió d'Investigació sobre la Infiltració de Policies dels Cossos Policials de l'Estat en els Moviments Socials, Polítics i Populars d'Arreu del […]
CEAQUA delegation returns to Argentina to testify on Franco's crimes
A new delegation is traveling to Argentina to appear before Judge María Servini, who is investigating Francoist crimes. The hearings will take place between March 16 and 22. A delegation from the State Coordinator for Support of the Argentine Lawsuit (CEAQUA) will be in Buenos Aires between March 16 and 22, with the […]
50% of the victims of Francoism evaluated by Sira suffered simulated death.
Gabriela López Neyra, coordinator of the Sira Center, testified as an expert witness in Buenos Aires, within the framework of the “Argentine Lawsuit,” the only ongoing lawsuit against the Franco regime. Since 2017, the Sira Center has conducted expert evaluations of 26 cases of torture during the Franco dictatorship, using the Istanbul Protocol. Therefore, in her capacity as an expert witness, […]
Joana Conill: «I didn't know how to explain to my friends that my father was tortured».»
Following the screening of the documentary "The Stork of Burgos," we spoke with its director, Joana Conill, about memory and antifascism. With this film, we conclude our short Film and Human Rights Series, "Accompanying to Break the Silence." After the screening of the documentary "The Stork of Burgos," its director, Joana Conill, spoke with the coordinator of the Sira Center, Gabriela […]
COMMUNIQUE : New Police Protocol for Border Agents makes torture victims invisible
elDiario.es reveals a police protocol for border officers that not only criminalizes people on the move, but also renders invisible potential victims of torture and ill-treatment. On May 7, elDiario.es published an article describing the guidelines that the General Directorate of Police has disseminated among its border officers, […]
Gabriela López: “We must develop strategies that reduce the uncertainty of unaccompanied migrant children”
The coordinator of the Sira Center participated in a conference dedicated to the care of unaccompanied and separated migrant children in need of international protection in Spain. The event, organized by the Center for Innovation in Law (CID – ICADE) of the Comillas Pontifical University, revolved around the presentation of the book “Study […]