The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, said today that Law 20/2022 on Democratic Memory has made it possible that, so far, 174,277 descendants of exiles and Spanish exiles in Argentina have acquired the right to Spanish nationality.

The minister, who has presided, in the gardens of the Embassy of Spain in Argentina, the annual tribute ceremony held at the monument to the Spanish victims of the Argentine dictatorship (1976 and 1983), has explained that, with data as of July 31, there are already 876,321 people who have applied for Spanish citizenship throughout the world. Of these, 414,652 descendants have already consolidated their rights. Of these, 237,145 are already registered and with their passport delivered.

The Democratic Memory Law, whose great objective is to repair and recognize the people who were victims of the War and the dictatorship, includes the possibility that those born outside Spain, of a father or mother, grandfather or grandmother, originally Spanish, can claim the nationality of our country. “It was and is about,” he said, “repairing, in part, the consequences of exile for political, social, ideological, belief or sexual orientation and identity reasons.”

“It was only fair that there was a law that would respond to all those who had to leave Spain because of the arrival of totalitarianism,” he said.

Argentina, with official data as of July 31, is the country that has registered the highest number of requests, with 366,579, which represents 40% of the total number of requests. Of these, as has been said, 174,277 have already approved the procedure and 61,499 are already registered.

Torres recalled that the deadline for applying for citizenship expires on October 22, after an extension was approved on July 9, 2024.

Floral offering to the disappeared

During the floral offering to the Spanish and Spanish disappeared during the Argentine dictatorship, Ángel Víctor Torres has indicated that there is a first list of 135 victims, which will expand as they get to know each other.

The minister was accompanied by the president of the Association of Relatives of Spanish Victims, Consuelo Castaño; the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez; the Secretary of State for Territorial Policy, Arcadi Spain, and the Spanish ambassador to Argentina, Joaquín de Arístegui.

Meeting with the Spanish community

In the afternoon of this Wednesday, the minister also visits the Immigration Museum of Buenos Aires and holds a meeting with the groups of Spanish descendants who are immersed in the nationalization process.