The Balearic executive has handed out more than 150 certificates since the Vice-Presidency of the Government, through the Autonomous Secretariat of Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, launched this initiative in January 2021.
The autonomous secretary of Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, Jesús Jurado, and the president of the Consell de Formentera, Ana Juan, presided over the first presentation of certificates for victims of Franco’s regime held in Formentera on Tuesday, an act of homage and institutional recognition to the victims of Franco’s repression who were murdered in the Balearic Islands, as well as their families.

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On this occasion, various authorities, accompanied by representatives of the memorial movement, have delivered the certificate to the families of 18 people, originally from Formentera, who was killed in the Balearic Islands during the Civil War and Franco’s regime.

They are Antoni Mayans Mayans, Pere; Antoni Planells Tur; Antoni Tur Marí; Francesc Verdera Castelló, Xico Mateu; Jaume Escandell Costa; Jaume Ferrer Ferrer, d’en Morna; Jaume Serra Juan, Mariano d’en Corda; Joan Tur Mayans; Josep Escandell Mayans, Bosc; Josep Ribas Marí, de Baix; Josep Riera, Blaiet; Josep Suñer; Josep Tur Planells, d’en Pep de na Damiana; Marià Torres Torres, Coves; Mariano Castelló Castelló, de s’Hereu; Vicent Cardona Colomar, Fumeral; Vicent Guasch, and Vicent Ribas Marí, de Baix.

The event was conducted by the director-general of Democratic Memory of the Government, Marc Andreu Herrera, and was attended by, among others, the councillor of Heritage, Raquel Guasch, and the vice president of the Forum for the Memory of Eivissa and Formentera and member of the Commission of Graves and Disappeared, Artur Parrón. Ximo Estal, professor of flute and assistant head of studies at the Conservatory of Music and Dance of Eivissa and Formentera, performed the musical piece “Trobarem a faltar el teu somriure” during the ceremony.

“Acts like this are primarily aimed at keeping alive the memory and vindicate the democratic values of all the people of Formentera that, from the coup d’état of 36 until well into the transition, fought and opposed the Franco regime. People who risked their lives, and sometimes lost them, to defend democratic republican legality, to organise resistance to the regime, to fight for the return of freedoms,” said regional secretary Jesús Jurado.

For her part, the president of the Consell, Ana Juan, stressed that “with acts like this we are closing wounds, but we still have a long way to go, so we can not stop and we must continue to do this work. Society owes a debt to these people and their families”. The president of the Consell also thanked “the great work of associations and researchers to make events like today’s and tomorrow’s possible” and recalled that “democratic memory policies are a priority for progressive governments”.

The certificate delivered today is an official document signed by the highest authorities of the Government of the Balearic Islands – the president, Francina Armengol, and the vice-president, Juan Pedro Yllanes – which the Autonomous Secretariat for Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory delivers to the families of all the victims of Franco’s repression who request it, with the aim of recognising the victims of Francoism as victims of human rights violations, and which highlights the serious injustices suffered by their families.

The first certificate of victim of Franco’s regime from the Balearic Government was delivered in January last year to the family of the trade union and political activist Juana Baño, whose remains were identified in 2018 by the team of researchers of the Aranzadi Science Society in the exhumation of the grave of Calvià (Mallorca).

Since then, the government has awarded a total of 150 certificates, in addition to the 18 awarded at Tuesday’s ceremony in Formentera.

Anyone interested in applying for this recognition can do so through the Directorate General of Democratic Memory, on the website that the Government has set up specifically for this purpose: http://www.caib.es/sites/memoria/ca/certificats_victimes_del_franquisme/