Anagrama says it will respect a public prosecutor’s recent opinion and refrain from selling the controversial book. Ruth Ortiz, the mother of the murdered children, has denounced Bretón for a possible breach of his sentence.
The publishing house Anagrama has announced that it is ceasing distribution of “El odio” (The hate), an epistolary novel based on a series of conversations between its author, Luis García Martín, and José Bretón, who was convicted of the murder of his two children.
The Barcelona-based publisher has taken this decision just two days after a lower court refused to block the publication in the face of the precautionary measures requested by the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Minors.
The complaint was filed in Córdoba by Ruth Ortiz, Bretón’s ex-partner and mother of the children they had in common, who were murdered by him in 2011.
Bretón killed Ruth and José, aged 2 and 6, just one month after his then partner told him of her intention to divorce him, in a harsh example of vicarious violence. He was convicted in 2013 of double murder with aggravating circumstances due to kinship, premeditation and the ruthlessness demonstrated in the execution of the acts.
He was sentenced to 40 years in prison; 20 years for each murdered child, although his total sentence was later reduced to 25 years. He is being held in a maximum security prison in the town of Herrera de la Mancha in Ciudad Real, La Mancha.
In its press release, Anagrama says it respects the appeal filed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office against the recent court ruling and is suspending the book’s distribution indefinitely.
“The publishing house expresses the absolute respect that Ruth Ortiz deserves and regrets the pain that the information disclosed about the publication and distribution of the book may have caused her,” the statement reads.
“Anagrama believes that, in a democratic society, there must be a balance between creative freedom as a fundamental right and the protection of victims. Works that are inspired by real events, as is the case with ‘El odio’, require a double dose of responsibility and respect.
“That is why, in an exercise of prudence and on a voluntary basis, the publisher has decided to maintain the suspension of the distribution of the work indefinitely”.
Out of the loop
Ortiz, who learned of the book’s contents from the media, was not contacted during the creative process to include her testimony or give her consent to it.
The Andalusian Public Prosecutor’s Office has reported that Ortiz’s lawyer has denounced Bretón for a possible breach of his sentence.
The lawyer and her client argue that the comments made by the media about the content of the book could constitute this offence.
Euronews has contacted Luis García Martín, known as Luisgé, to get his version of events following the publisher’s announcement. The author referred all communication to Anagrama’s spokespeople.
