24 March 2026
Donostia-San Sebastián
In the context of the International Day for the Right to the Truth and the Dignity of Victims, the University of Deusto held an awareness-raising session on 24 March, bringing together around 400 second-year undergraduate students from all degree programmes on the San Sebastian campus. The event, organised by the academic staff of Human Values Education I, provided a space for direct listening to two victims of politically motivated terrorism, whose personal experiences conveyed a powerful message of reconciliation.
An exercise in memory for the future
Professor Itziar Navarro opened the session at the Loiola Centrum by explaining that the event was not intended to be a conventional history class, but rather an “exercise in memory”. The main aim was to establish the truth of what happened in order to acknowledge and redress unjust suffering, thereby laying the foundations to ensure that such events are not repeated. Navarro also thanked Jon Casado sj. for his collaboration in organising the event.
Two stories, a shared search for dignity
The session featured contributions from Ixone Fernández Bustillo and José Aguilar García, who shared deeply harrowing experiences, but also stories of resilience.
Ixone Fernández Bustillo recounted her experience after being arrested in 2005 on charges of which she was eventually acquitted. Fernández denounced having suffered torture and humiliation during her period of incommunicado detention, an account that was not supported in court but which was later corroborated, among others, by an investigation carried out by the Argituz association, using the United Nations’ Istanbul Protocol. Her testimony highlighted the stigma and the difficulty of moving forward when institutions and the media call into question the truth of the victim’s account.
José Aguilar García, a former Guardia Civil officer injured in an ETA attack in Alsasua (1988), delivered one of the most moving moments of the event when he addressed Ixone with a firm: "I believe you.” Aguilar, who survived a booby trap bomb at the age of 26, described how he chose to set aside “the heavy burden of hatred” from the outset. The speaker, who has participated in restorative encounters, stressed that he raised his five children without resentment and shares his story to eradicate both attacks and torture.
Commitment to reconciliation
Students remained respectfully silent during the presentations and took an active part in the question and answer session. The event concluded with an embrace between Fernández and Aguilar, a symbolic gesture that moved those present and reinforced the message of mutual respect.
This activity is in line with the University of Deusto's commitment to the defence of human rights and peace. In a turbulent global context, the institution reaffirms the need to protect the dignity of all people without exception, promoting dialogue as the only way to resolve conflicts.
