Doris Benegas
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Doris Benegas Haddad (1951 – 29 July 2016) was a Spanish political lawyer specialising in criminal law, particularly causes related to women and left-wing politics. She was also a political leader, leading a regional branch of the communist movement in the 1970s as well as the pro-independence
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
leftist coalition, the Castilian Left, from 2002 to her death in 2016.


Early life

Benegas was born in
Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...
, Venezuela, in 1951. Her father was José María Benegas Echeverría, an exiled
Basque Nationalist Basque nationalism ( ; ; ) is a form of nationalism that asserts that Basques, an ethnic group indigenous to the western Pyrenees, are a nation and promotes the political unity of the Basques, today scattered between Spain and France. Since ...
politician, who fled Spain in 1939 following the victory of
General Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republ ...
in the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. Her mother was Doris Haddad, a Lebanese-Jewish woman who migrated from
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
to Venezuela. In 1956 the family moved back to Echeverría's home region, the Basque Country. In 1964, she left home to attend high school in
Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
, in French Basque Country, returning to Spain in 1969 to begin studying law at the
University of the Basque Country The University of the Basque Country (, ''EHU''; , ''UPV''; officially EHU) is a Spanish public university of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community. Heir of the University of Deusto, University of Bilbao, initial ...
in San Sebastian. In 1972, Benegas moved to
Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...
and started working in the
FASA-Renault FASA-Renault was a Spanish automobile manufacturer which produced Renault and Renault-based vehicles from 1951 to 2000. Since 2000 until the present, its factories are part of Renault España. History The company was established in 1951 in Vallad ...
car factory. There she participated in workers' strikes and industrial action, and subsequently lost her job for her involvement in these activities. She also joined the communist movement and as a result came under police surveillance. In May 1973, she was arrested for her political activism. Benegas completed her law degree and joined the Bar in Valladolid in 1975.


Career


Legal career

Once qualified, Benegas opened a law office in Valladolid. Her legal work was mainly in criminal law, and in cases concerning gender violence, abortion, drug trafficking and defending leftist political activists. She also defended victims of the colza oil intoxication. She represented the families of people shot during Franco's regime, and she was in favour of
Basque independence Basque independence is the principle and a movement for autonomy or self government for the Basque Country, independent of the Government of Spain and the Government of France. Constitutional background After a period of self-government, th ...
and actively supported Basque
ETA Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
prisoners. She was also well known for her commitment to women's social causes - in 1993, she co-founded the Association of Women Lawyers of Valladolid, and in 1994 the Association of Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault and Child Abuse. She also founded the Association of Women Jurists and the feminist collective Women of Valladolid. In 1996, she spoke at the 10th Congress of Women Lawyers on the subject "The new criminal code and protection of the rights of women". In later years, she was associated with organisations assisting the
terminally ill Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, rather than fatal injur ...
and people who were
evicted Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. In some jurisdictions it may also involve the removal of persons from premises that were foreclosed by a mortgagee (often, the prior owners who defaulted on a mortga ...
. Her work for the latter cause was through the Valladolid branch of the organisation '' Stop Desahucios'' ("Stop Evictions").


Political activity

After completing her law studies, Benegas became the leader of the
Communist Movement Communist Movement (in Spanish: ''Movimiento Comunista'', in Basque: ''Mugimendu Komunista'', in Catalan: ''Moviment Comunista'', in Galician: ''Movemento Comunista'', in Asturian: ''Movimientu Comunista'') was a political party in Spain ...
in
Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomous community in Spain by area, covering 94,222 km2. It is, however, sparsely populated, with a pop ...
. In 1976, she worked with others to organise a public commemoration of
Castile and León Day Castile and León Day () is a holiday celebrated on 23 April in the autonomous community of Castile and León, a subdivision of Spain. The date is the anniversary of the Battle of Villalar, in which Castilian rebels called Comuneros were dealt ...
, a day which celebrates
Castilian nationalism Castilian nationalism or "Castilianism" () is a fringe political movement that advocates for the national recognition of Castile, and in some cases, its independence from Spain. History The 19th century saw the development of what historian ...
. About 400 people gathered at the village of
Villalar de los Comuneros Villalar de los Comuneros is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census ( INE), the municipality had a population of 449 inhabitants. In its vicinity there was a crucial defeat of ...
, and were violently dispersed by the
Guardia Civil The Civil Guard (; ) is one of the two national law enforcement agencies of Spain. As a national gendarmerie, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the authority of both the Ministry of the Interior and the Minis ...
. The following year almost 20,000 people attended commemorations. In 1983, she was a key figure in the formation of the Castilian Popular Unity party. In 2000, this party merged with others to become the Castilian Left party, and Benegas was its leader from 2002 until her death in 2016. Benegas was a candidate for Mayor of Valladolid twice, in 1979 and 1983, representing the Unidad Popular-People's Revolutionary Party. In 2012, Benegas was arrested on suspicion of organising an anti-government demonstration, ''Rodea el Congreso'' (Surround the Congress). In September 2014, she and Luis Campo sued the government delegate in Madrid,
Cristina Cifuentes María Cristina Cifuentes Cuencas (born 1 July 1964) is a former Spanish politician of the People's Party. She was the President of the Community of Madrid from 24 June 2015 to her 25 April 2018 resignation. From 16 January 2012 to 13 April 201 ...
, and the Director General of Police, Ignacio Cosidó, for banning the display of republican symbols during King Philip VI's proclamation. The following month, Benegas, Campo and another protester were arrested at an anti-monarchy demonstration in Madrid and held in custody for 24 hours. Benegas claimed that they were arrested and detained in retaliation for the complaint filed against Cifuentes and Cosidó.


Family

Her brother ''Txiki'' Benegas was elected for several terms to represent Basque circumscriptions at the
Spanish Cortes The (; ) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house). The Congress of Deputies meets in the Palacio de las Cortes. The Senate meets in the Pala ...
in the lists of the Basque branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party. However their relation was broken before the 1978 democratization. While ''Txiki'' was in
ETA Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
's target list, she defended ETA prisoners.DORIS, EL CISMA FAMILIAR DE LOS BENEGAS
Javier Gómez, El Mundo - Crónica, 17 May 2009.
His son (Doris' nephew) is the Spanish musician and songwriter Pablo Benegas, guitarist in the group
La Oreja de Van Gogh La Oreja de Van Gogh (; English: "Vincent van Gogh, Van Gogh's Ear") is a Pop music, pop band from San Sebastián, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, Spain. The lyrical themes of their songs typically include love, friendship ...
.Txiki Benegas, un hombre de Estado
28 August 2015,
El Confidencial ''El Confidencial'' is a Spanish-language general-information digital newspaper located in Spain, specializing in economic, financial and political news. It was established as an online newspaper in 2001. Its target readership is professional ...
Amaia Montero apoya a Pablo Benegas en el entierro de su padre
31 August 2015, Informalia - El Economista.
Their sister Ana Benegas was also a songwriter The Basque nationalist politician
Iñaki Anasagasti Iñaki Anasagasti (born 16 November 1947) is a Venezuelan-Spanish politician, belonging to the Basque Nationalist Party. Biography Anasagasti was born to exiled Spanish parents in Cumaná, Venezuela. His father was a Basque nationalist and a me ...
, also born in Venezuela, was a family friend in the 1950s. Her husband
Luis Ocampo Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
was general secretary of Castilian Left.


Death

Benegas died in Valladolid on 29 July 2016, following several months of illness from an abdominal tumour. She was survived by a daughter.


References


External links


Doris Benegas Haddad
Ainhoa Arozamena Ayala,
Auñamendi Encyclopedia The Auñamendi Encyclopedia is the largest encyclopedia of Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque peopl ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Benegas, Doris 1951 births 2016 deaths Politicians from Caracas Politicians from Castile and León Deaths from cancer in Spain 20th-century Spanish lawyers Criminal defense lawyers Spanish women's rights activists Spanish women activists Spanish founders Women founders University of the Basque Country alumni Venezuelan emigrants to Spain Venezuelan people of Basque descent Venezuelan people of Lebanese-Jewish descent People from Valladolid 20th-century Spanish politicians 20th-century Spanish women 21st-century Spanish lawyers Castilian nationalism Spanish activists 20th-century Spanish women lawyers 21st-century Spanish women lawyers 20th-century Spanish Jews 21st-century Spanish Jews