Today, a Spanish
lieutenant is on the 20th
day of a hunger strike which he began after being reprimanded by the
military and ultimately arrested for writing a novel that explored corruption
in the Spanish military.
Lt. Luis Gonzalo Seguro began his hunger
strike the day before he was arrested. Shortly after his arrest, he was moved
to a military hospital so that he can be monitored while he continues to
survive only on liquids. Since his arrest, Lt. Seguro
has been posting comments on Facebook and Twitter. He has reported that he has
lost a lot of weight and he has occasional “failures in memory.”
According to Lt. Seguro, everything that he said about the military in his novel had already been publicly denounced. According to the military, Lt. Seguro’s allegations were based on suspicion, rumors or lack of knowledge, and his arrest was justified because he knew that the information he shared could be false. The Defense Ministry has been largely silent on this matter, but representatives have described Lt. Seguro’s actions as “serious” and officials have stressed that members of the military are subject to limits on freedom of expression.
In an open letter to the public, Lt. Seguro explained that his hunger strike is intended to invite reflection on what happens in the "dark" military world. He says that the “law of silence” in the military gives shelter to abuse, privilege, corruption and arbitrariness. By way of example, he made specific reference to the story of Capt. Zaida Cantera, whose story we posted a few weeks ago. Ultimately, Lt. Seguro could face expulsion from the military.
According to Lt. Seguro, everything that he said about the military in his novel had already been publicly denounced. According to the military, Lt. Seguro’s allegations were based on suspicion, rumors or lack of knowledge, and his arrest was justified because he knew that the information he shared could be false. The Defense Ministry has been largely silent on this matter, but representatives have described Lt. Seguro’s actions as “serious” and officials have stressed that members of the military are subject to limits on freedom of expression.
In an open letter to the public, Lt. Seguro explained that his hunger strike is intended to invite reflection on what happens in the "dark" military world. He says that the “law of silence” in the military gives shelter to abuse, privilege, corruption and arbitrariness. By way of example, he made specific reference to the story of Capt. Zaida Cantera, whose story we posted a few weeks ago. Ultimately, Lt. Seguro could face expulsion from the military.
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