Tanuki, you asked me once what was all this for.
Those videos were told to be lost. Only the push of the Association of Aiding of 3/11 Victims, and its perseverance in prosecuting Sanchez-Manzano, has allowed the judge of the case (from the Provincial courts, not so hardly controlled as the National High court) to ask for them, and threaten police and judicial civil servants with sanctions if they were not handed over to the court.
I think they are following the correct way of proceeding in such a case: saving the more evidence as possible and questioning witnesses, experts and defendants before a judge, so their testimony will have legal value, now and forever.
Nailing down such things leaves less space to maneouver when disinformation campaigns are set. In fact, the official side, leaving aside the issue of the decorations which is plainly an insult and a mafia-style threat to the democratic Spaniards, has not moved in the last months. They received the broadcasting of the videos simply labelling the channels that did so as “Fascists”.
You’re right; the most important aspect of these tapes is that they’re available at all. Bermudez’ ‘investigation’ has just gone from simple obfuscation to outright cover-up. There’s no way the ‘responsible authorities’ can hide their own culpability; by manipulating outcomes, they are as guilty of the consequences as the bombers themselves. Assuming, of course, that they had nothing to do with the actual act and that is now an open question.
The 3-11 families need to be applauded for their achievement. This one revelation will reverberate throughout the governmental system. I hope one day they will have all the answers they seek and that this will bring them some solace.