Franco's
gay victims may be compensated by Spain

Spain's government is considering compensating gays who may have been tortured, thrown in mental hospitals, or imprisoned during Gen. Francisco Franco's brutal dictatorship.

According to The [London] Independent, many gays were prevented from working under the Franco regime due to their "criminal records." Under Franco's homophobic rule, gays were often jailed or put in "correction camps," where they were given electric shocks to quell their sexual urges. Some prisoners were forced to watch heterosexual pornography.

The Spanish government may offer money to those who suffered persecution. The Spanish justice minister, Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, is considering granting victims a pension of 800 euros a month, plus a onetime 12,000 euro payment for what they suffered under the regime. The compensation package could be introduced in two months.

Many of the thousands of victims have since died, The Independent reported, but a few hundred might be able to collect the compensation. (The Advocate)