Human rights in Spain
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This article is a summary of the state of human rights in Spain.
Law and government
Spain is a democracy with a constitutional monarch. The Cortes Generales consists of two chambers, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. Since 2012, Mariano Rajoy of the Spanish Popular Party (PP) has been Prime Minister of Spain, with the title President of the Government. Elections are free and fair. The judiciary is independent.
Internal security responsibilities are divided among the National Police, which are responsible for security in urban areas; the Civil Guard, which police rural areas and control borders and highways; and police forces under the authority of the autonomous communities of Catalonia and the Basque Country. Civilian authorities maintained effective control of the security forces. There have been allegations that some members of the security forces have committed isolated human rights abuses.
The market-based economy, with primary reliance on private enterprise, provided the population of over 40 million with a high standard of living.
Human rights
The Government respects the human rights of its citizens; although there are a few problems in some areas, the law and judiciary provide effective means of addressing individual instances of abuse. There are allegations that a few members of the security forces abused detainees and mistreated foreigners and illegal immigrants. According to Amnesty International (AI), government investigations of such alleged abuses are often lengthy and punishments were light. Lengthy pretrial detention and delays in trials are sometimes problems. Violence against women was a problem, which the Government took steps to address. Trafficking of women and teenage girls for the purpose of prostitution was a problem, which the Government also took steps to address.
See also
External links
- http://hrw.org/doc/?t=europe&c=spain – Human Rights Watch on Spain
- US Department of State Report on Human Rights in Spain, 2004 (Most text taken directly from this article)
- Censorship in Spain - IFEX