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Blanca Serra Testifies in Spain's First Inquiry into Franco-Era Police Torture

The 82-year-old activist's testimony marks a pivotal step under the Law of Memory Democrática, challenging the legacy of dictatorship-era abuses.

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Blanca Serra, con el caminador, acompañada de su abogada Anaïs Franquesa.

Overview

  • Blanca Serra, an 82-year-old activist, became the first person to testify in Spain's inaugural investigation into Franco-era police torture, under the Fiscalía de Memoria Democrática.
  • Her testimony detailed physical and psychological torture she and her late sister Eva endured during multiple detentions between 1977 and 1982 in Barcelona's Via Laietana and Madrid's Dirección General de Seguridad.
  • The investigation, enabled by the 2022 Law of Memory Democrática, aims to uphold victims' rights to truth, justice, and reparation for dictatorship-era crimes historically shielded by Spain's 1977 amnesty law.
  • Serra criticized proposals to maintain Via Laietana as both a police station and a memorial space, calling it 'intolerable' for victims and perpetrators to share the same location.
  • This case not only seeks personal justice but also serves as a collective call to confront Spain's unresolved historical injustices and ensure remembrance for future generations.