The Government of Spain will declassify archives of Franco from the Classified information law. The text establishes the Survey of all classified documents over 45 years ago.
The project, which will be processed in the Congress of Deputies, replaces the Official Secrets Law of Franco of 1968. When establishing 45 years as a maximum classification time, the documents reserved prior to 1981 will be declassified.
Spain: after more than 45 years the government will decount secrets of Francoism
This is the Classified information law, which will replace the current since 1968. Among its main novelties are the deadlines Reserve maximums: Documents classified as high secret must be declassified in a maximum of 45 years (exceptionally 15 more).
Those of secret level, meanwhile, must be declassified in 35 years (extendable 10); The confidential ones, between 7 and 9 years and the restricted, between 4 and 6 years. In addition, the norm prohibits classifying information related to serious human rights violations or crimes against humanitywhich excludes from the secret many facts linked to the Franco dictatorship.
From the Executive they assure that this legislation seeks adapt Spain to transparency standards in force in the European Union (EU) and NATO. For researchers, archivists and associations of historical memory, it is a long -awaited change.
Until now, these documents remained closed by administrative decision, without a clear legal basis that set deadlines. With the new standard, They can only be kept secret if it is proved that their dissemination is a real threat For national security, and that justification must be renewed annually.
The reason for the Spanish government: “a mature democracy”
With this law, “we put ourselves in European standards, We advance as a mature democracy that we are for citizens to have the right to know, In order for administrations to have the obligation to provide documentation that is important for history and, of course, national security and defense are protected in our country, “said the minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolañosat the press conference after the Council of Ministers.
He stressed that “we exceed a ramora of our legislation, an pre -constitutional law that comes from the dictatorship.” Until now the government had refused to make a massive declassification of the secret documents of Franco and the transition.
Source: Ambito
