More repression, more Irídia
What do we mean by repression, and why do we talk about it?
Repression is tear-gassing a group of people sitting on the ground who are peacefully resisting; it’s striking someone on the head with a police baton; it’s assaulting, insulting, and mocking a person in custody. Repression is stopping and mistreating someone because of their skin color or sexual orientation, blinding a person by shooting a projectile at them, lying in court to secure the conviction of a photojournalist doing their job, infiltrating social movements and community organizations, or using cyber-espionage techniques against human rights defenders.
You might think these things happen only in faraway countries, in dictatorial regimes that don’t respect human rights. We’re sorry to tell you they don’t — they’re real, they have happened here in Catalonia, and the people who have suffered them have names and surnames.
Since 2015, more than 1,400 people have turned to SAIDAVI, and our psycho-legal team has represented and accompanied over a hundred victims before the courts. We have filed complaints against police officers, security guards, and prison staff for the disproportionate use of force, torture, or other violations of rights. Just last month, during the protests against the genocide in Palestine, we assisted 23 people and took on the legal representation of several victims.
Investigating and litigating are tools to seek justice and reparation — as in the case of the Mossos d’Esquadra officer who abused, humiliated, and illegally detained I., where we achieved a sentence of more than seven years in prison for crimes against moral integrity, bodily harm, unlawful detention, and falsifying the police report. Or the case of the officer who broke journalist Jesús Rodríguez’s finger while he was covering a demonstration, who was sentenced to two years in prison. Or the security guard who broke Kim’s ankle in an unnecessary, sudden, and violent restraint, who was sentenced to nine months in prison.
By the end of 2025, we continue to have more than fifty legal proceedings open, in which 76 police officers are under investigation or awaiting trial.
But these proceedings also serve to expose the dysfunctions of the system and to push for change — such as the ban on the most harmful projectiles used by the Mossos d’Esquadra or the 360º identification requirement for riot police officers, which obliges them to display their ID number visibly on the front, back, and helmet.
At Irídia, we talk about repression because our goal is to prevent and eradicate it. Supporting affected individuals, both inside and outside the courts, is a key tool to ensure that cases like these do not happen again and that everyone is treated with dignity by police forces and public authorities.
Why now?
Because headlines and media attention change all the time, but criminal processes take years. At Irídia, we continue handling cases from yesterday’s repression, while addressing today’s and preparing for tomorrow’s.
Currently, we have 52 open lawsuits: 4 are from 2017, 3 from 2018, 7 from 2019, 6 from 2020, 7 from 2021, 6 from 2022, 8 from 2023, and 5 from 2024. In 2025, we’ve taken on 6 new cases, and the work doesn’t stop. During moments of social mobilization, such as the protests against the genocide in Palestine, requests for assistance notably increase, and we must respond immediately. Between October 2nd and 29th alone, 23 people came to Irídia to share their cases or report the injuries they sustained. We assisted 8 of them in person, we represent a photojournalist injured by a foam bullet, and we are studying legal actions to address the various human rights violations that occurred in that context.
But we know this is nothing compared to the repression that is yet to come. The stronger the reactionary options become, the more necessary— and will be— social mobilization, and with it, more repression. That’s why we need a strong structure that allows us to respond to both current challenges and those we will face in the future.
Right now, this structure is at risk: the few public subsidies we were receiving are being withdrawn or drastically reduced, and the only thing sustaining our work is the support of our members— to whom we are deeply grateful for their trust— and donations. We have the tools and commitment, but we need resources to continue.
We need to raise 60,000 €, of which 35,000 € are essential to sustain the current lawsuits over the next six months.
We know that only with collective action can we achieve this. Because it is not an option to stop supporting those in need or to stop fighting to change the reality around us. Help us make this possible.
What will we do with your contribution?
Make it possible to ensure justice and reparation for those affected, and together we can establish guarantees of non-repetition, so that these events do not happen again.
Assisting people means conducting in-person psycho-legal interviews, following up on the progress of their complaint, and if we do not take on the case, supporting them in obtaining a public defender. It also means preserving evidence, going to the scene of the events, checking for cameras, requesting that the footage not be deleted, or calling for witnesses through social media.
Carrying out the lawsuits means filing complaints or criminal charges, appearing in court, promoting the investigation by requesting the necessary proceedings, accompanying the person to the forensic doctor, requesting specialized expert reports—both on the weapons used and the Istanbul Protocol—supporting the accusation, attending the trial, and filing appeals when cases are shelved, all the way to the Constitutional Court, the European Court, or the United Nations. We coordinate strategies with other organizations worldwide, share knowledge, and pressure to ensure that human rights are a reality, not just paper.
Every contribution is important. And it’s tax-deductible!
For the first 250€, the tax Spanish authorities will return 80%. If the donation is higher, the return is 40% on amounts exceeding 250€.
Not to mention the direct rewards: prints, t-shirts, bags, tickets for IrídiaFest… You can check them out here.
There are days left
Option 1: Make a donation and enter a raffle
On 01/12/2026 we will raffle: 2 double tickets for the IrídiaFest open on March 14, 2026, 2 samarretes, 2 bosses and 2 sheets.
If you make a donation through Bizum, look for the number “09704” under the option of “donate to a charitable cause or NGO”. Contact [email protected] to be able to deduct your contribution.
Option 3: Make a donation with an entity
Your contribution deducts taxes from the Societats Tax! The deduction from the full fee is 35% and, if donations are made in the future from the third year onwards, the deduction will be 40%.
Define an amount to contribute as an entity, without a reward:
Or choose one of the rewards for entities:
