Melitón Manzanas González

Melitón Manzanas González (9 June 1909 – 2 August 1968) was a high-ranking police officer in Francoist Spain, known as a torturer and the first planned victim of ETA.

Early life and background Manzanas was born on 9 June 1909 in San Sebastián. He entered the police force in 1938, in Irun, where he established one of his infamous interrogation centres and collaborated with Nazi Germany His killers waited for him at his residence and shot him seven times.

Thirty years after his death, Manzanas was awarded the Medal of Civil Merit dedicated to the victims of terrorism by José María Aznar. Manzanas' service under Franco's regime, the fact that he was known for having used police torture, and the fact that he was not the first torturer rewarded by the Spanish Government raised some controversy about this award.