MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that the Cabinet will approve the declassification of secret documents related to the failed military coup of February 23, 1981 (23-F), marking the 45th anniversary of the historic event.
The decision will be officially published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on February 25, after which the documents will be made available to the public on the Moncloa website.
Historic step toward transparency
Sánchez said that “memory cannot remain locked away” and described the move as an effort to settle a historic debt with Spanish citizens, stressing that democracies must know their past in order to build a freer future.
What will be declassified?
Among the key materials to be released:
The full court case file of the 23-F trial, consisting of 89 volumes
Original recordings and testimonies of those involved
Secret archives of the former intelligence agency CESID (now CNI), including wiretap transcripts from the night of the coup
Communications between the Royal Household, the Government and military regions
Internal military mobilisation reports
Many of these documents had been classified as “top secret.”
Legal framework
The move is linked to the new Classified Information Law, approved in 2025 and currently in parliament, which sets automatic declassification deadlines:
Top secret → 45 years
Secret → 35 years
Confidential → 7–9 years
Restricted → 4–6 years
Fighting misinformation
The announcement follows calls from writer Javier Cercas, author of Anatomía de un instante, who urged the government to release all available material to counter persistent myths about the coup attempt led by Lt. Col. Antonio Tejero.
When and where to access
From February 25, all interested citizens, researchers and media will be able to consult the documents online through the official government portal.
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