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Yolanda González (activist)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is González and the second or maternal family name is Martín.
Yolanda González
Born(1961-01-20)January 20, 1961
DiedFebruary 1, 1980(1980-02-01) (aged 19)
Cause of deathMurder
NationalitySpanish
OccupationStudent
OrganizationWorker'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

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Originally from Deusto, González moved to Madrid to study electronics.[3] To fund her education, she worked as a cleaner.[4] 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.[3] On the same day the organisation also murdered Jesús María Zubikarai Badiola in Eibar.[5]

The perpetrators of González' murder were Emilio Hellín and Ignacio Abad Velázquez, who were arrested and sentenced to prison terms.[3] 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

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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.[4] In 2016 there a small square in Deustu was named in her honour.[12][13][14]

  • Square in Deustu, Bilbao
    Square in Deustu, Bilbao
  • Deustu sign
    Deustu sign
  • Gardens in Madrid
    Gardens in Madrid

References

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