At this conference, speakers will discuss the new Democratic Memory Act, which took its first step on 15 September after the draft bill approval by the Council of Ministers. The act aims -through 66 articles, organised in 5 titles-, to provide full redress for the victims of the Civil War and the Dictatorship, and to encourage policies of truth, justice and redress, as well as guarantees of non-repetition. The Secretary of State for Democratic Memory will discuss with experts from the University to solve any doubts the law may raise. The act will declare full nullity of Francoist trials and some of its measures will be conversion of the Valley of the Fallen to a civil cemetery, outlawing of associations and foundations that may defend Franco's regime and recovery of human remains from mass graves by the Central Government. The conference will be held through Blackboard Collaborate. Pre-registration is required, follow this link for free access.

Fernando Martínez holds a degree and PhD in Philosophy and Arts by the University of Granada and is Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Almería. He is an historian and specialist in Spanish republicanism, in the social movements of the contemporary period, particularly the history of Spanish socialism, and in the figure of Nicolás Salmerón y Alonso. He is also a specialist in Historical Memory, and was the General Manager of Historical Memory between July 2018 and March 2019. He has as well coordinated the Andalusian Map of Graves and has been coordinator and principal investigator of the research projects of the Andalusian universities related to the Proceedings of the Courts of Political Responsibilities in Andalusia (1936-1945), the Francoist Repression of Andalusian Freemasonery and the Andalusian Republican Exile of 1939. He received the Historical Memory Award from the Andalusian Regional Government. He previously served as mayor of Almería, and as senator for Almería. Currently, he is the Executive Secretary for Democratic Memory of the PSOE's Federal Executive Committee.

The talk will later be available on the YouTube channel of the Centre Cultural La Nau of the Universitat de València.