Catalan government gives first official pardon to those imprisoned during Franco regime

The government delivered this Friday the first document officially exonerating a victim of Franco’s justice system, nullifying the politically motivated trial held against him and legally clearing his name, following a law passed by parliament on June 29.

The Minister of Justice, Carles Mundó, handed over the certificate to Araceli Aiguaviva, the widow of Catalan journalist Josep Maria Huertas Claveria.

Huertas Claveria, who passed away in 2007, was imprisoned in 1975 for publishing an article entitled “Underground erotic life” in the newspaper ‘Tele / eXpress’ which revealed how a large number of brothels in Barcelona were in fact run by military widows.

The certificate officially clears Huertas Claveria of any charges made against him during the dictatorship, specifically charges of a political nature. It is the first official pardon of many more to come.