More than forty years have passed since the coup d'état of 23 February 1981 in Spain, and the legislative changes needed to declassify documents that clarify the facts are still pending. The Law on Official Secrets of 5 April 1968, a Francoist law, is still an obstacle to transparency because many documents and information dating from the Franco era and the transition are still classified.
Over the years, thanks to the investigative work of historians, journalists, testimonies and information provided by third-country intelligence services, it has become known how Franco's elites retained their economic, political, judicial and military power during the transition from dictatorship to democracy. In view of this information, there is no justification for continuing to conceal the truth from the Spanish people.
Recently, Spain ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents (Tromsø Convention).
Ms Castel
To ask the Committee of Ministers:
Can this Council of Europe’s international Treaty promote the declassification of documents such as those relating to the coup d'état of 23 February 1981 in Spain?