JOSÉ ANTONIO ORTEGA LARA

Do not use the «hands-free» option inside the museum.

Kidnappings have special characteristics. First of all because of the isolation and defenselessness to which the victims are subjected and also for the social response that can be generated to get the captives to return home.

Here we focus on one case, the longest kidnapping that has taken place in Spain: the 532 days that ETA held prison official José Antonio Ortega Lara hostage in a tiny cell in Mondragón. The Civil Guard managed to arrest his captors and free him, but the effects of that traumatic experience will remain with him forever. The reproduction of Ortega Lara’s cell can be seen beneath the glass floor. It is also recommended to visit its interior, in this case by appointment, in a small group accompanied by a guide.

To learn more, you can use the interactive interface on kidnappings for terrorism that have occurred both in Spain and Spaniards abroad from 1970 to the present. There are more than 160 cases and each one has its own individual file, as well as information published in the press.