Garzón calls for Franco truth commission

Speaking at the Ateneo cultural center in Madrid on Sunday, former High Court Judge Baltasar Garzón called on Spain to create a truth commission to examine the crimes committed during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and subsequent Franco regime.

"In Spain there are different categories of victim, which is incredibly serious," Garzón said. "I would like the victims of terrorism to recognize that there are victims of the Franco regime who are waiting for justice, truth and reparations 70 years later." At Sunday's event, which was organized by the Platform for a Truth Commission, families of victims appeared with pictures of their missing loved ones.

Garzón was suspended from his post as a High Court judge two years ago after being found to have abused his powers by ordering that the telephone conversations of corruption suspects and their lawyers be recorded. In another of three accusations he faced of misconduct before the Supreme Court, Garzón was acquitted of deliberately misusing his authority in opening a criminal investigation into crimes committed by the Franco regime and Nationalist forces in the Civil War.