Spain is generally considered a healthy democracy, but troubling trends lie beneath the surface. Spain consistently violates international conventions — particularly in its treatment of the Catalan and Basque minorities — and has gone so far as to hinder, and even block the work of the press with draconian legislation.

The end of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship in 1976 did not bring about the much-anticipated peace and democracy to Spain. In the past decades, Spain has had numerous democratic setbacks and perpetuated a series of human rights violations. From countless cases of torture and arbitrary arrests to the forced closure of newspapers in the Basque Country and interference in Catalonia’s independence process, it would seem that upon closer examination, Spain’s democratic sheen is not quite so glossy.

A major indicator of Spain’s democratic decline is the persecution of artists, in particular, musicians, on the grounds of “extolling terrorism.” A recent report found that Spain incarcerates more artists than any country in the world. Twitter users and journalists have also been accused, and in some cases convicted,  for covering demonstrations, tweeting jokes about members of the Francoist dictatorship, and supporting the Basque and Catalan causes.

Full article at Inkstick’s website. Date of publication: 26/07/2019.