Francisco Tomás y Valiente | |
|---|---|
| President of the Constitutional Court | |
| In office 4 March 1986 – 14 July 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Manuel García Pelayo |
| Succeeded by | Miguel Rodríguez-Piñero |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 8, 1932 Valencia, Spain |
| Died | February 14, 1996 (aged 63) Madrid, Spain |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | Mingorrubio, Madrid |
| Alma mater | University of Valencia |
Francisco Tomás y Valiente (8 December 1932 – 14 February 1996) was a Spanish jurist, historian, and writer. He was professor of history of law in the Autonomous University of Madrid. He presided Spain's Constitutional Court from 1986 to 1992. He was assassinated by ETA in 1996.[1]
Death[edit]
On February 14, 1996, Tomás y Valiente was murdered by Jon Bienzobas Arretxe, 'Karaka', a member of the terrorist group ETA, in his office at the Autonomous University of Madrid while he was talking on the phone with Professor Elías Díaz, who heard the shots from the other side of the line.
Following his murder, on February 19, a massive demonstration took place in the city of Madrid, attended by 850,000 people, to call for an end to ETA's violence. His killing led to between 850,000[2] and 1 million people marching in protest through Madrid, headed by the then Prime Minister, Felipe González (PSOE), and the leaders of all mainstream political parties.[3]
Trial[edit]
In 2007, the Third Section of the Criminal Chamber of the National Court sentenced ETA member Jon Bienzobas to 30 years in prison for the murder.
Regarding the definition of "state", Tomás y Valiente declared that without a state there could be neither Law nor rights, only chaos ("Sin Estado no hay ni Derecho ni derechos, solo hay caos"). Likewise, as an expert in the history of Law, he was convinced that the Law does not suffice without goodwill, and he was especially concerned about two particular risks, of four, that he perceived in Spain's political system: the lack of goodwill in co-operating and the autonomous communities' haste in reaching their maximum degree of autonomy.[4]
Publications[edit]
- El derecho penal de la monarquía absoluta: (siglos XVI - XVII - XVII) (Ed. Tecnos, 1969)
- El marco político de la desamortización en España (Ariel, 1971)
- La Tortura Judicial en España (Ariel, 1973)
- La Tortura en España (Ariel, 1974)
- Manual de historia del derecho español (Técnos, 1983)
- Gobierno e instituciones en la España del Antiguo Regimen (Alianza Editorial, 1999)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ (in Spanish) "El Rey elogia a Tomás y Valiente y califica el terrorismo como ataque directo a la convivencia" El País. Retrieved 126 May 2013.
- ^ (in Spanish) "Madrid se alza contra el terrorismo" El País. Retrieved 126 May 2013.
- ^ "Spain's fears for a new civil war" The Independent. Retrieved 126 May 2013.
- ^ (in Spanish) Miguel Artola Gallego (1996) "Tomás y Valiente: Obra Incompleta", p. 10. in Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia, TOMO CXCIII. NUMERO I. AÑO 1996 At Google Books. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
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