Basque Parliament approves law to recognize victims of terrorism

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The Basque Parliament. Photo: EFE

Basque Parliament approved on Thursday a law that recognizes and protects the victims of terrorism with the support of all the parties, except the Basque leftist party EHAK.

The law, which is an unprecedented case in Spain, springs from the Basque Government's Plan of Peace and Coexistence and seeks the ethical and political recognition of the victims.

The law starts from the right to justice of the victims, and although it does not include a full definition of who a victim is, it recognizes as victims those who have suffered attacks from ETA, GAL and other far-right groups.

The law recognizes the rights of the victims from an ethical and political point of view and regulates welfare and material matters. It also includes the commitment to investigate unsolved incidents which involve the violation of human rights, and which, sometimes, could require the creation of parliamentary investigation commissions.

Concerning damages, the law provides financial help to repair damages of terrorist attacks.