In Tenerife, there are demands to recognize the former Paso Alto prison as a place of democratic memory.
On Tenerife, the ARMHT organization is seeking official recognition of the former Paso Alto prison as a site of democratic memory, where Republicans were held during the Franco dictatorship.
In Tenerife, Spain, the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMHT) wants the former Paso Alto prison in Santa Cruz de Tenerife to be officially recognized as a site of importance for the preservation of democratic memory.
The president of the organization, Mercedes Pérez Schwartz, explains that under the new law, such places associated with important historical events should be included in a special list.
ARMHT recalls that during the Franco dictatorship, after 1936, the Paso Alto prison held prominent people who supported the republic. Among them were the mayor of the city, José Carlos Schwartz, and the governor, Manuel Vásquez Moro. Vásquez Moro was shot in 1936, and Schwartz disappeared.
In the early years of the dictatorship, people were also tried in the prison, and many prisoners were held there, including those loyal to the republic. According to historian Pedro Medina Sanabria, there were 65 prisoners there in 1937.
ARMHT draws attention to the fact that the list of prisoners was signed by Francisco La Roche, who was the mayor at the time. One of the city's main streets is still named after him, although this contradicts the law on historical memory.
Pérez Schwartz emphasizes that Paso Alto is one of the few places where traces of the repression of those times still remain. Many other places, such as the Fyffes prison, have already disappeared. Therefore, it is important to officially recognize this place and make it a symbol of remembrance of those events and their victims.
The president of the organization recalls that they have been seeking this recognition for seven years. She adds that there are almost no places left in the city that would remind of the Francoist prisons.
The organization believes that it is necessary to "put an end to Franco's past" and turn Paso Alto into a place where they will talk about the repression, honor the victims, and hold various events related to democratic memory.
ARMHT has appealed to the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory to support their initiative. They also hope for the cooperation of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, which currently owns the prison building. The organization believes that this will help preserve the former prison and address an important issue of historical memory in the Canary Islands.