Last Friday, during a ceremony held in Irún (Guipúzcoa), the Ministry of Democratic Memory paid tribute to various individuals and entities. Among those honored was a citizen from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, whose life was marked by his opposition to the Francoist regime.

Since 1967, the honoree joined the Union of Communist Youth, actively participating in the resistance against the dictatorship. His commitment led to arrests, torture, and legal proceedings, culminating in his exile. He faced two trials by the Public Order Tribunal (TOP) for propaganda, which forced him to flee clandestinely to Italy and later to England to avoid a six-year prison sentence.

During his last arrest on November 25, 1970, he was tortured with electric currents by the Political-Social Brigade at the Las Palmas Police Station, an event reported by international media. During his exile in London, he collaborated with the BBC Latin American Service and participated in anti-Francoist activities organized by exiles.

He returned to Spain in 1978, following the restoration of democratic guarantees. Over the past two decades, he has been intensely active in the fight for Democratic Memory, publishing research articles and co-authoring a book about a Canarian doctor murdered by Falangists.

The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, thanked the honorees for their “enormous contribution” and emphasized the importance of these acts in upholding the principles of truth, justice, reparation, and non-repetition. He also called for vigilance against the resurgence of “extremist postulates” against migrants, comparing their situation to that of those who emigrated in the past and those who now arrive on the Canarian coasts fleeing conflicts.