Last November the Cádiz Provincial Court closed the complaint that AUGC had filed against two Guardia Civil commanders in connection with the deaths of Miguel Ángel González and David Pérez, two agents run down by a narco-boat off Barbate. The association had named the head of the Andalusia region and the colonel of the Cádiz Command as responsible for the chain of command surrounding the operation. The court, however, found no criminal indicators in the conduct of these high ranking officers, a decision that sparked renewed questions about accountability and the handling of such cases by the authorities involved.
Nearly two months after the archival decision, González’s relatives gathered in Cádiz to demand that the case be reopened. They say they possess a crucial piece of evidence that was absent from the official record: a fifty minute audio recording. Miguel Lozano, the defense attorney, asserts that this material must be examined again and could compel authorities to review the case and possibly restart the investigation, a possibility that has intensified pressure on the judicial process and the public conversation about responsibility in these deaths.
During the demonstration, banners and placards expressed a clear call for action: the reopening of the case against the chain of command and the delivery of justice. Supporters emphasized that those responsible for issuing what they view as a deficient order should be held to account. The protest took place in front of the Cádiz Command headquarters, the building associated with the unit and officers named in the inquiry, and it drew participants who argued that transparency and accountability must accompany any closure of the case.
In May of the previous year, AUGC had argued that those responsible for the incident needed to face accountability. The association said it had attempted to engage with the Guardia Civil’s leadership, including the director general, Leonardo Marcos, without the result they sought, and it decided to pursue legal action to clarify responsibilities and ensure appropriate oversight of the operation and its consequences. This move underscored a broader demand from the families and the union for a thorough review of what happened and why, as well as a push for clearer standards of command responsibility in similar operations.
I neither forgive nor forget
Paqui Gómez, the mother of Miguel Ángel González, spoke with a mix of gratitude and pain after Karim El Baqqali, the man accused of the events, testified at the Barbate courts. She made plain that she could not forgive or forget what happened and stressed that her son gave his life in service to the country. Her words reflected a lifelong ache that she carries, and she insisted that the memory of her son remains alive in the face of ongoing questions about accountability.
After Karim described the incident as an accident during his court appearance, Gómez recalled the night’s footage, noting how the narco-boat appears to strike the Guardia Civil zodiac. To her, the video evidence is far from a mere accident, and she argued that the material visible in the recording speaks for itself to anyone who watches it carefully. That perception has reinforced her resolve that the case should be revisited with a critical eye toward what the video reveals and what it might imply about responsibility beyond the individuals immediately involved on the boat.
She reiterated that she will not stay silent until justice is achieved and that she will continue pressing for the reopening of the case against the senior officers whose decisions she believes contributed to a fatal outcome. Her stance was reaffirmed this week as she called again for reexamination of the supervisory level and for a reconsideration of the closure in light of new evidence and perspectives, underscoring a persistent demand for accountability for all those connected to the chain of command in that night’s events.