Yolanda González (activist) explained

Birth Date:20 January 1961
Death Cause:Murder
Nationality:Spanish
Occupation:Student
Organization:Worker's Socialist Party (Spain)

Yolanda González Martín (Bilbao, 20 January 1961 - Madrid, 1 February 1980[1]) was a Spanish student and communist militant murdered by two members of New Force.[2]

Biography

Originally from Deusto, González moved to Madrid to study electronics. To fund her education, she worked as a cleaner.[3] She became the student representative of the vocational training school where she studied. She was also a member of the Workers Socialist Party. In February 1980, she was kidnapped, tortured and murdered by some members of New Force. Her body was found on a roadside near Madrid. The organization Batallón Vasco Español claimed responsibility for her murder. On the same day the organisation also murdered Jesús María Zubikarai Badiola in Eibar.[4]

The perpetrators of González' murder were Emilio Hellín and Ignacio Abad Velázquez, who were arrested and sentenced to prison terms.[5] Hellin was sentenced to 43 years in prison, of which he served only 14. In February 2013, El País reported that Hellin, under a false name, was working in communications technology for the Spanish security forces.[6]

Legacy

On more than one anniversary of her murder, the relatives and neighbours of González have led calls for further justice and reparation.[7] [8] In 2014 Isabel Rodríguez directed the documentary "Yolanda en el País de los estudiantes", which recounts the kidnapping and subsequent murder of González by the Batallón Vasco-Español.[9]

In 2018 Carlos Fonseca wrote No te olvides de mí: Yolanda González, el crimen más brutal de la Transición. This book brought together a range of sources to focus on her murder.[10]

Both a garden and a public square have been named in her honour. In 2015, the garden Jardines de Yolanda González Martín was named after her in Madrid.[11] In 2018 the sign for the gardens was defaced by fascists. In 2016 there a small square in Deustu was named in her honour.[12] [13] [14]

References

  1. Web site: Yolanda González fue asesinada en la carretera de San Martín de Valdeiglesias - Archivo Linz de la Transición española . 2024-03-06 . www.march.es.
  2. Web site: 2020-01-30 . Yolanda González en la memoria, 40 años después de último asesinato del franquismo . 2024-03-06 . www.publico.es.
  3. Web site: Mateo . Juan José . 2018-12-07 . Killing the memory of Spanish activist Yolanda González . 2024-03-06 . EL PAÍS English . en.
  4. Web site: Efemeridea: The body of young Yolanda González Martín de Deusto appears in Madrid after the kidnapping, torture and death of paramilitary groups BVE . 2024-03-06 . Argia . en.
  5. Web site: Canal Historia . 2024-03-06 . amcselekt.es.
  6. Web site: Moreno . Federico . 2021-02-01 . Spanish State: The assassination of Yolanda González. No forgetting, no forgiving . 2024-03-06 . International Socialist League . en-US.
  7. Web site: 2014-02-01 . Egia, justizia eta erreparazioa eskatu dituzte Yolanda Gonzalez hil zuteneko urteurrenean . 2024-03-06 . Berria . eu.
  8. Web site: 2015-02-02 . Yolanda Gonzalez omendu dute, eskuin muturrak hil eta 35 urtera . 2024-03-06 . Berria . eu.
  9. Web site: 2014-12-18 . Un documental recoge el secuestro y asesinato de Yolanda González . 2024-03-06 . EITB . es.
  10. Web site: Carlos Fonseca: "Es complicado, por no decir imposible, que se aclaren todos los elementos del asesinato de Yolanda" . 2024-03-06 . www.elsaltodiario.com . es.
  11. Web site: SL . TAI GABE DIGITALA . 2015-06-15 . La deustuarra Yolanda González ya cuenta con plaza propia en Madrid . 2024-03-06 . naiz . es.
  12. Web site: EP . 2016-02-26 . Yolanda González ya tiene una plaza con su nombre en Deusto . 2024-03-06 . Deia . es.
  13. Web site: 2020-02-02 . Recordando a Yolanda González, la activista asesinada que representó la lucha por las libertades y la democracia . 2024-03-06 . www.lasexta.com . es.
  14. Web site: 2016-02-26 . Yolanda Gonzalez zenari plazatxo bat eskaini diote Bilbon . 2024-03-06 . Berria . eu.