40 years after the murder of Atocha's lawyers. Companions, we do not forget you

Luis Javier Benavides, Serafín Holgado, Ángel Rodríguez, Javier Sahuquillo and Enrique Valdevira were murdered on January 24, 1977 in their law office on 55 Atocha Street in Madrid. Alejandro Ruiz-Huerta, Lola González Ruiz, Luis Ramos and Miguel Sarabia were seriously injured.

Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the murder that turned them into martyrs of democracy, because 40 years ago, the murderers tried to put an end to the fight for freedom, but they achieved the opposite. Today we can say that their greatest condemnation was that Spain became a democratic State governed by the rule of law.

That crime had a peaceful, civic and courageous response from the Lawyers, the Communist Party, the CCOO and a large part of society. The burial of our comrades was, without a doubt, one of the solid bases on which this imperfect democracy that we live, these freedoms, sometimes threatened, that we enjoy, and this unequal society but without wars that we have built together was built.

During these four decades, the Atocha Lawyers Foundation has worked so that the Atocha Lawyers not only continue to live in our memory, but also be a symbol for all, representing - now and then - the value of the struggle for democracy, for the recovery of freedoms, for the coexistence of all without exclusions.

Despite the fact that 40 years have passed, lawyers continue to hurt the memory of the victims of that unreason and we are hurt by threats to the right of defense wherever they occur.

At the proposal of the European Association of Democratic Lawyers, it was determined that on January 24, the Day of the Threatened Lawyer would be celebrated throughout Europe to denounce the situation of lawyers whose lives, freedom or professional practice are at risk due to the legitimate exercise of their duties. profession. This year, we have denounced the situation of many Chinese lawyers, persecuted and systematically detained by the government of that country since July 2015. The commitment of the Legal Profession in the defense of Human Rights obliges us to denounce its violation wherever it occurs, because only with the free exercise of the legal profession can a rule of law be sustained

Reaching a rule of law was what our comrades assassinated in Atocha worked for. On the day of his burial, the institutional Advocacy decided that his memory would not be erased from our consciences. Every year, we have visited the cemeteries of Madrid and the monument erected in front of the labor office where they worked to honor their memory and reaffirm our commitment to what their memory represents.

I would like to express my warm congratulations to Juan Genovés, author of that monument, 'El abrazo', a symbol made life in the Plaza de Antón Martín in Madrid, for the award that this year has been awarded by the Fundación Abogados de Atocha. And I also thank the colleagues of this Foundation for the recognition that the work of the Madrid Bar Association and the Consejo General of the Legal Profession.

On this 40th anniversary, a book has also been presented dedicated to three rebellious, brave and committed women, united by the Atocha massacre, but also by many other things. “Cristina, Manuela and Paca” tells the story of three lives crossed by justice and commitment. Memory has to be cultivated, and books like this one – dedicated to Cristina Almeida, Manuela Carmena and Paca Sauquillo – are essential so that those who do not know what women like them did can learn about it and so that those of us who do know about it can never forget it.

History must help us not to lose the roots that unite us with the best of ourselves and to avoid committing or allowing the same mistakes again. Together we have to continue fighting to win the battle of coexistence and rights. So that the voice of Luis Javier, Serafín, Ángel, Javier, Enrique, Lola, Luis, Miguel and Alejandro never goes off. We do not forget you, companions.