During the first thirty years of the Francoist dictatorship, the press was subjected to severe previous censorship. In 1966, with the Law of Press and Printing, previous censorship was abolished, but a system of sanctions was imposed which resulted in multiple fines, suspensions and even the closure of the offending publication, if it was accused of transgressing the limits of freedom of expression established by the dictatorship or of conspiring against the founding principles of the regime. The Spanish Constitution in 1978, which recognizes and protects freedom of expression in its Article 20, changed all this.

The following rights are recognized and protected,

a. the right to freely express and disseminate thoughts, ideas and opinions by word, in writing or by any other means of communication,

b. the right to literary, artistic, scientific and technical production and creation,

c. the right to academic freedom,

d. the right to freely communicate or receive accurate information by any means of dissemination whatsoever. The law shall regulate the right to invoke personal conscience and professional secrecy in the exercise of these freedoms.

The exercise of these rights may not be restricted by any form of prior censorship.

The law shall regulate the organization and parliamentary control of the social communications media under the control of the State or any public agency and shall guarantee access to such media to the main social and political groups, respecting the pluralism of society and of the various languages of Spain.

These freedoms are limited by respect for the rights recognized in this Title, by the legal provisions implementing it, and specially by the right to honour, to privacy, to personal reputation and to the protection of youth and childhood.

The confiscation of publications and recordings and other information media may only be carried out by means of a court order.

If you need additional information about the topics of this chapter, please write or call to:

    "Sí, Spain"
    350 Sparks Street, Suite 802
    Ottawa, Ontario K1R 7S8
    Canada
    Phone Number: (613) 237 2193
    Fax: (613) 236 9246

If you are professionally interested in all Spanish media, you can ask for the 1996 Directory, Agenda de la Comunicación 1996, to:

    Ángela Santamaría Barceló
    SUBDIRECTORA GENERAL DE ASISTENCIA A LA FUNCIÓN       
    INFORMATIVA
    MINISTERIO DE LA PRESIDENCIA
    Secretaría General del Portavoz del Gobierno
    Complejo de la Moncloa
    28071 MADRID
    Spain
    Phone Number: 34 1 321 40 78
    Fax: 34 1 321 40 30
         34 1 321 40 50

Thank-you, very much.