Born: 1956 (Caracas, Venezuela)
Died: 1979 (Tudela, Navarre, Spain)
Biography:
Gladys del Estal Ferreño was a prominent ecologist activist born in Caracas, Venezuela, on 1956 and tragically killed in Tudela, Navarre, Spain, in 1979. She came from a family of Spanish exiles, as her parents, Enrique del Estal Añorga and Eugenia Ferreño, had fled their home country during the Spanish Civil War. After living in Venezuela for some time, the family eventually returned to Spain and settled in Egia, San Sebastián.
Gladys began her education at Colegio Presentación de María and later pursued studies in Administration at the Centro Cultural Femenino Nazaret. In 1978, she completed her studies at the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of the Basque Country. Following her graduation, she found work as a programmer in a small computer company.
Tragically, it was during a protest against the construction of a nuclear station program for the Basque Country and an aircraft firing range in Bardenas that Gladys lost her life. The protest took place in Tudela on June 3, 1979, and attracted around 4,000 participants. The Civil Guard, however, responded by charging the peaceful demonstration, causing chaos and panic among the marchers. As people scattered, Gladys and some others decided to sit down at a bridge as a symbol of peaceful resistance against repression. It was there that a Civil Guard officer, wielding an automatic rifle, shot Gladys in the back of the head, instantly ending her life.
The officer responsible for Gladys’ tragic death was eventually brought to trial, but the outcome was deeply disappointing. In December 1981, he was convicted of reckless endangerment and sentenced to only 18 months in prison. The court in Pamplona determined that his action was ‘unintended’, despite accounts from fellow ecologist activists who claimed that the officer had directed an obscene comment at Gladys, leading her to insult him. In response, the officer callously shot her. Shockingly, the responsible officer did not spend time in prison for his crime. In fact, ten years after Gladys’ murder, he was even decorated for his impeccable behavior in Tudela, the very place where she tragically lost her life. Furthermore, during the rule of Spanish premier Felipe González, the shooter was awarded the Cross of Military Merit.
Despite her untimely death, Gladys del Estal has become an enduring icon of the ecologist movement. Her sacrifice and the injustice she faced have inspired countless individuals to continue fighting for conservation, environmental protection, and social justice. Gladys’ memory lives on through memorial acts and tributes, reminding us of the importance of valuing and preserving our natural world.