Spain Recognizes Franco-Era Camp for Homosexuals as Official Site of Democratic Memory

The autonomous authorities of Spain's Canary Islands have made a historic gesture, officially recognizing the former repression camp in Tefía on Fuerteventura as the country's first 'LGTBIQ+ Site of Memory' and a 'Site of Democratic Memory'. The decision, already announced last year, was finalized during a ceremony on Thursday, February 26, 2026. The facility, referred to in the media as a 'punishment field' or 'desert concentration camp', operated from 1954 to 1966 as a place of isolation and 're-education' for men convicted of homosexuality under repressive Francoist law. The dictatorship of General Francisco Franco in Spain lasted from the end of the civil war in 1939 until his death in 1975. The regime was characterized by strong political repression, nationalism, and social control based on Catholic morality. Homosexuals were persecuted and punished, among other things, under the 'Ley de vagos y maleantes' (Law on Vagrants and Wrongdoers) from 1933, amended in 1954, and the later 'Ley de peligrosidad y rehabilitación social' (Law on Social Danger and Rehabilitation) from 1970. According to media reports, including from 'El País' and RTVE, the camp in Tefía was located in a remote, desert part of the island. Men sentenced for homosexuality were sent there to serve prison sentences or were dispatched there as part of 'preventive' measures. Prisoners were forced into hard labor, including the construction of a nearby airport and other infrastructure facilities. Living conditions are described as exceptionally harsh. The commemoration ceremony gathered representatives from the Canary Islands government, the Fuerteventura Island Council, and human rights organizations and historical memory associations, such as 'Memoria de Canarias'. The event aimed to pay tribute to the victims and provide symbolic historical reparation to the LGTBIQ+ community. „Un campo de castigo franquista para gais en Fuerteventura, primer lugar de memoria LGTBIQ+ de España” (A Francoist punishment camp for gays in Fuerteventura becomes Spain's first LGTBIQ+ site of memory) — El País The recognition of Tefía is part of a broader process of implementing Spain's Democratic Memory Law from 2022. This law obliges autonomous communities to identify, mark, and preserve sites related to human rights violations during the civil war and dictatorship. Thus, Tefía joins a growing list of sites commemorated under this historical policy. The action by the Canary authorities has been positively received by social organizations that have long advocated for the official recognition of the suffering of homosexuals during the Franco era. This is a visible step towards a fuller reckoning with the dictatorship's legacy, incorporating the perspective of sexual minorities.