Overview of Human Rights in Spain

The Kingdom of Spain is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch. Elections are considered free and fair by international standards. The government works to respect the civil and human rights of its citizens. When abuses are reported, the law provides effective means of dealing with the situation.  Overall, Spain enjoys one of the best human rights records in the world today.  Limited problem areas include the following:

- Members of the security forces have abused, mistreated, and sometimes tortured detainees, illegal immigrants, and foreigners. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture has recommended that the government devise a plan to prevent such actions and end the practice of incommunicado detention immediately. As of press time, the government has made no move to implement these recommendations. 

- Prison conditions continue to deteriorate throughout the nation. Overcrowding and prison guard brutality are areas of concern recently presented to the High Court.

- Societal discrimination and violence against immigrants and Roma (Gypsies) have been known to occur.

- On March 11, 2004, an Islamist group with reported links to al-Qa’ida exploded 10 bombs on four commuter trains in Madrid. Reports indicated that 191 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. An increase in racism and acts of violence against Muslims was reported in the aftermath of the bombings. More than 100 Muslims were arrested for alleged ties to ‘terrorist activities’. Many are still being held despite the lack of formal charges against them.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank: 19th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.