Jude Kirton-Darling MEP will lead a delegation of MEPs to Madrid, Spain from 22-23nd May to demand the truth be heard about historical baby abductions, as the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee takes up the case of a British woman whose baby was allegedly abducted hours after birth in a Spanish hospital in 1992. The historical case was picked up by MEPs on the Petitions Committee after Ruth Anne Appleby’s access to the truth had been blocked at every turn. Jude Kirton-Darling, North East MEP and Member of the Petitions Committee said: “For many people, the EU is synonymous with bureaucracy and rules, but my experience as an MEP on the European Parliament’s Petitions Committee has been of people – people often searching for justice and hoping the EU will help. Ruth Anne Appleby is a prime example.
“As a UK citizen who previously lived and worked in Spain, now living back in the UK with limited resources, she has faced an uphill struggle to find the truth about her stolen baby. The European Parliament is the last place that Ruth and five other petitioners, representing dozens of families, felt they could go to get a fair hearing, and importantly some action to shine a light onto a subject that has been hidden for decades by powerful vested interests. Opening up the Catholic Church’s archives is their key demand. “During the visit, we will take testimony from representatives of the state, lawyers, journalists, victims – both mothers and stolen children – and crucially the Catholic Church. I am proud to lead the visit and hope that I can help reveal the truth about these precious stolen babies, an issue that reaches beyond Spain’s borders”.
