The Festival du Film et Forum International sur les Droits Humains (FIFDH) took place between 9th and 18th March 2018 in Geneva. During its sixth session, the FIFDH, TRIAL International and the Université de Genève scheduled a debate about the “permanent memory of the crimes” (La memoire indélébile des crimes), that followed the screening of the internationally-praised Spanish documentary “The Silence of Others”.
Maite Parejo Sousa, Head of G37 Despacho Internacional in Madrid and part of The Guernica Group, took part in this debate. Other participants were Almudena Carracedo, co-director of “The Silence of Others”, Jose Maria “Chato” Galante, spokesperson for the Platform in Support of the Argentina Lawsuit (CEAQUA) and main character of the film, and Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Maite provided a legal explanation of the judicial proceedings brought before Argentinean courts to prosecute crimes against humanity perpetrated during the Spanish civil war and the subsequent dictatorship. She explained the functioning of the principle of universal jurisdiction and its key relevance for this case, since it is the only available means to bring to light crimes that, otherwise, will remain unpunished due to the 1977 Spanish Amnesty law.
The debate was moderated by Sévane Garibian, professor of International Criminal Law at the University of Geneva and director of the project Right to Truth, Truth(s) through Rights: Mass Crimes Impunity and Transitional Justice.
The full debate is available on the FIFDH YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/2HxVy5B