National security vs freedom of information: classified information and historical research in Spain
Abstract
In this paper we analyze the obstacles presented by the regulation of classified matters in Spain in light of the most recent regulatory developments and in particular the Draft Law on Classified Information presented by the Government in August 2022. We insert these developments in a tradition of imbalance between the protection of national security through State secrecy and the guarantees of freedom of information, insufficiently protected in the regulatory field and also suffering from a marked lack of human and material resources in the archival systems of the State. The analysis focuses on the negative effects that this reality projects on historical research, particularly that which explores the Civil War, the Francoist Dictatorship, the Transition to Democracy and the current Democratic Stage, with equally limiting repercussions on the strengthening of democracy and the implementation of the Historical Memory and Democratic Memory laws.
Article download
Crossmark
License
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Derecom. Derecho de la Comunicación is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
