Spain May Compensate Gay Victims Of Franco Era

The Spanish government may put in place legislation to compensate thousands of gays and lesbians who were imprisoned and in many cases tortured during the regime of General Francisco Franco.

Antoni Ruiz, a 17 year old boy from Valencia, eastern Spain, told his mother he was homosexual and his family sought advice from a nun. "She went straight to the police and I was arrested and sent for trial," Mr Ruiz told The Independent.

"I spent three months in prison. I was raped there and in the police cells and psychologically tortured by both the guards and the prison doctor."

Even after Franco died, persecution of gays continued and the law allowing courts to jail gays remained on the books until 1979. It was not until 2001 that Spain finally began to purge the criminal records of gays convicted under Franco.

Now, 31 years later, Mr Ruiz and a dwindling band of others who suffered General Franco's ruthless repression of homosexuals, may finally be offered compensation by the state.

The Spanish government may offer money to those who were sent to mental hospitals, tortured, imprisoned or who suffered a lifetime of persecution. The Spanish Justice Minister, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, is considering granting victims a pension of €800 (£540) a month, plus a one-off €12,000 payment for what they suffered under the regime. It could be introduced in two months.

Many homosexuals were prevented from working under the Franco dictatorship because of their "criminal" records, meaning they never contributed enough money to receive more than the minimum pension.

Mr Ruiz, president of the Association of Ex-Social Prisoners, said the move would be a victory. "This is not just about economic compensation but remembering homosexuals who suffered under unjust and dictatorial laws," he added. A few hundred survivors will see the payments - many of the thousands victimized have since died.