On September 15, 2023, after more than six years of legal battles in Spain and over 100 lawsuits filed, Julio Pacheco and Rosa García became the first people to testify before a Spanish court regarding the torture they suffered under Franco's regime. In August 1975, both were tortured at the General Directorate of Security in Madrid by various members of the Political-Social Brigade, Franco's political police. The Sira Center contributed an expert report to the case, documenting the trauma suffered by the plaintiffs.
On 12 May 2023, the Judge of the 50th Preliminary Examining Court of Madrid, Mrs. Ana María Iguácel Pérez, The court accepted the criminal complaint filed by Julio Pacheco and set July 14 as the date to take statements from the complainant and the witness. However, on that day, the substitute judge assigned to the court, Fernando Muñoz Leal, decided to suspend the hearings without prior notice, arguing only that he needed to re-examine the case. Both the complainant and the witness were informed of the suspension only after they had arrived at the courthouse and received no explanation whatsoever.
Months later, on September 15, 2023, Julio and Rosa were finally heard. That morning, they both testified for two hours, providing details and information about the reported events. "All the questions were aimed at clarifying the facts and continuing the investigation," stated their legal team. The presiding judge of the Court of Instruction number 50 and the Public Prosecutor's Office were present during the hearing, with the support of the prosecutor assigned to the Special Prosecutor's Office for Democratic Memory., Mrs. Virginia García Aller.
That day, upon leaving the courthouse, Julio Pacheco expressed his satisfaction with his testimony, emphasizing the importance of initiating a legal process of this magnitude. For the first time, a person who suffered serious human rights violations during the Franco dictatorship was being questioned. "The process continues, and I believe it will continue. It's the beginning of breaking down the wall of silence and impunity that we have endured. The fact that we testified today means that there may be more testimonies and that we can finally achieve justice here in Spain," he declared.
From the Sira Center, we submitted an expert report to the case documenting the impact on the plaintiff, Julio Pacheco, who was tortured in the General Directorate of Security (DGS) building in Puerta del Sol and subsequently transferred to prison. Julio was arrested at age 19 at his home, as a member of the Communist Party and the FRAP (Revolutionary Antifascist and Patriotic Front), and suffered torture for seven consecutive days at the hands of the Political-Social Brigade. Among the police officers who participated in these abuses, the plaintiff identifies the former commissioner of the National Police Corps, José Manuel Villarejo, and recalls being interrogated by Juan Antonio González Pacheco, alias “Billy the Kid”"His testimony, which we recovered almost 50 years after the events, shows how torture leaves an indelible mark on those who suffer it.".
Podcast: Cloudy Days
In November 2023, with the complicity of El Salto Radio, we're launching the first installment of our podcast «Gaps "Stories to Accompany Us." In this episode, we recount the journey of Julio Pacheco and Rosa García, the first survivors of torture during the Franco regime to testify before a Spanish court. Through their voices, we learn about their childhoods, the beginnings of their activism, their time in prison, and how they rebuilt their lives, learning to live with the lasting trauma. When did their activism begin? What are the effects of torture? What does it mean for survivors to face a legal process of this magnitude?
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We offer therapeutic care to people affected by political violence and prepare expert reports as an instrument of defense and denunciation.
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