Recognition of EH Bildu MEP Pernando Barrena as a victim of police torture

Topics Rights & liberties Categories Press releases Share The Left Group welcomes the long-overdue decision by the Government of Navarra to officially recognize its Member, EH Bildu MEP Pernando Barrena, as a victim of police torture, along with 20 others affected by state and far-right violence. This acknowledgment, while necessary, comes far too late. For decades, countless individuals in the Basque Country have suffered in silence, with no justice, no recognition, and no reparations.  Everything must now be brought to the table: the police violence, the torture, the death squads. Only by facing the full truth can we ensure that such abuses never happen again and that a lasting peace in the Basque Country becomes possible. Franco’s regime laid the foundation for a system of repression that outlived the dictatorship. Even today, Francoist elements remain embedded in key institutions—within the judiciary, the Guardia Civil, and the political establishment—slowing the path to justice. Torture in Spain is not merely a relic of the past; it is a legacy that continued under democracy. Both the Basque Government and the Government of Navarra have published reports documenting over 6,000 cases of torture. Two official commissions now exist for victims to apply for recognition, but this is only a beginning. For decades, international bodies — including the UN, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Committee Against Torture — have condemned Spain’s failure to prevent,...