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Spanish legislature passes historic law denouncing Franco

It orders local governments to fund attempts to unearth mass graves from the Civil War.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 1, 2007

MADRID - Parliament condemned Gen. Francisco Franco's nearly 40-year dictatorship Wednesday in historic legislation addressing a dark chapter of Spanish history that had been largely off-limits.

The bill sponsored by the Socialist government and passed by the lower house of Parliament also makes symbolic amends to victims of the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War. It formally denounces Franco's regime, mandates that local governments fund efforts to unearth mass graves from the Civil War and declares as "illegitimate" the summary military trials that led to the execution or imprisonment of thousands of the general's enemies.

The legislation orders the removal of all Franco-era symbols such as streets and plazas named after him or generals who fought for him. There are dozens of such symbols in Madrid alone.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose grandfather was among the tens of thousands executed by Franco's forces, had made the legislation a top priority and cobbled together an agreement between his ruling Socialists and several smaller parties.

Conservative critics complained angrily that the bill digs unnecessarily at old wounds and does away with a spirit of reconciliation that accompanied the transition to democracy after Franco died in 1975.

The bill pays tribute to all victims of the war, including Roman Catholic clergy and others executed by militia loyal to the elected, leftist Republican government that Franco rose up against in 1936.

It also bans political rallies at a site know as the Valley of the Fallen, which includes Franco's mausoleum. The site is the most potent symbol of the dictatorship and is a magnet for yearly processions of right-wingers nostalgic for Franco's rule.

The legislation, known as the "Law of Historical Memory," must still pass the Senate - considered a formality - and be published in the government gazette before it becomes law. That is expected this month.

[Last modified November 1, 2007, 00:19:19]