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WORLD NEWS Friday 12 July 2019

Crusader for Spain’s abducted babies finds biological family

By JOSEPH WILSON do so,” Madrigal said. “He
Associated Press treated me like a puppy.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The State never knew I ex-
A woman who became isted.”
a crusader for babies ab- Madrigal’s case was
ducted during Spain’s Spain’s first to go to trial in
20th-century dictatorship the widespread child traf-
said Thursday that she has ficking that occurred from
found her biological family the onset of the country’s
and learned that her moth- Civil War in 1936 to the
er gave her up voluntarily. death of dictator Gen.
Inés Madrigal said that Francisco Franco in 1975.
thanks to an American Most lawsuits have been
DNA bank she has found rejected by courts for com-
four half siblings five de- ing after the statute of limi-
cades after her birth. tations expired.
“I have four siblings, who Spain only started investi-
are marvelous people and gating the stolen babies
have opened their arms to cases a decade ago, when
me,” she told a press con- magistrate Baltasar Garzón
ference in Madrid. “At last I opened a probe into the
have completed the puzzle more than 30,000 children
of my life. Now I know who that were under the care
I am and where I come In this Monday Oct. 8, 2018 file photo, Ines Madrigal speaks to journalists outside a court in Madrid, of the right-wing regime.
from.” Spain. Franco’s regime took away
Last year a court ruled Associated Press the children of poor fami-
that gynecologist Eduardo Madrigal now says that her Court hears her appeal to not consider that she was lies, prisoners or political en-
Vela abducted Madrigal in newfound relatives have last year’s ruling at a future stolen. emies, sometimes stripping
1969, faking her birth by her told her that her mother date yet to be determined. But Madrigal said she re- women of their newborns
adoptive parents and forg- gave her up willingly. The state prosecutor’s of- mains convinced that Vela by lying and saying they
ing official documents, only That revelation appears fice in Madrid issued a broke the law by hiding her had died during labor. The
to clear him because the likely to hurt her chances statement on Thursday to true origins. children were then given to
statute of limitations had of getting a verdict against say that given the new twist “He should have registered pro-Franco families or the
expired. Vela when Spain’s Supreme in Madrigal’s case it does my birth and he did not church.q

Georgia will ‘wait and see’ if Putin’s softer tone lasts

By JAMEY KEATEN leaders — including Euro- Russia and ban imports of
Associated Press pean Council president Georgian wine and mineral
GENEVA (AP) — Georgia’s Donald Tusk — at the Black water.
president says she’ll “wait Sea resort city of Batumi. Putin said he wouldn’t take
and see” how a debate Z“I’m here to protect my such action “out of my re-
in Russia about possible people, and nobody is spect for the Georgian
new sanctions against her going to give me a lesson people,” adding that he
country will pan out as she in patriotism,” she said by “wouldn’t do anything that
cautiously welcomed con- Skype. would exacerbate our rela-
ciliatory comments from But her most timely com- tions.”
President Vladimir Putin as ments came in response to In response to Putin’s re-
preferable to “threats.” passing remarks this week marks, Zurabishvili replied:
Salome Zurabishvili spoke by Putin, who sought to “Well, we are going to wait
to The Associated Press in lower the temperature by and see what is the real-
an interview during a break rejecting calls in Moscow ity. But I would rather have In this file photo taken on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018, Georgian
President Salome Zurabishvili arrives to attend her inauguration
from a conference she to halt money transfers these comments than have in Telavi, Georgia.
was hosting with European from Georgians living in threats.”q Associated Press