Salvador Puig Antich became a symbol of the final cruelty of the Franco regime. He was tried by a military court with little chance to defend himself. International appeals for mercy were ignored. His execution came just over a year before Franco's death. His family's long fight to reopen the case became part of Spain's argument over facing its past. His story is still taught as part of Spain's transition to democracy. Catalan streets and schools now bear his name.
Key Milestones
1971: Joins the Iberian Liberation Movement
1973: Arrested in Barcelona
1974: Sentenced by a military court
1974: Executed in Barcelona
Salvador Puig Antich (Catalan pronunciation:; 30 May 1948 – 2 March 1974) was a Spanish militant anarchist from Catalonia. His execution for involvement in a bank robbery and shooting a police officer dead became a cause célèbre in Francoist Spain for Catalan autonomists, pro-independence supporters, and anarchists.
