Case of robbed children under Franco back to the National Court

November 13, 2010
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In a curious game of judicial ping-pong, a Madrid judge has sent an important case back to the National Criminal Court, specifically to the department that was led by Judge Baltasar Garzón before his controversial suspension, and which is now headed by Judge Pablo Ruz, El País reports. The case, which involves the “stealing” of eighty children of Republicans, was among the cases that Garzón had deferred to local judiciaries after questions arose about whether Garzón was the appropriate legal authority to be investigating crimes committed under the Franco regime. According to Garzón’s extensive brief of October 2008, these crimes should be considered crimes against humanity, not covered by the 1977 amnesty laws. The Madrid judge is the third to send a case back to the National Court.  In one of his briefs, Garzón estimated that the total number of “stolen” children could be as high as 30,000. For more extensive background details, see earlier coverage in The Nation, El País, and The Guardian.

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2 Responses to “ Case of robbed children under Franco back to the National Court ”

  1. jorgia bordofsky on January 12, 2011 at 12:08 am

    glad to find this info…..looking for documentary film “The lost children of Franco”. Any informationwould be appreciated.

  2. Sebastiaan Faber on January 12, 2011 at 8:34 am

    It’s online here:
    http://vimeo.com/2599250
    and here:
    http://vimeo.com/2658532

    sf