Spain Gov. Sorry for Jailing Gay Man

The Spanish government apologized to a man who was imprisoned for being gay in the 1970s.

Antoni Ruiz came out to his family as a teenager in 1976, right after the late general Francisco Franco (pictured) initiated a law during his dictatorship making homosexuality illegal. When his parents told a Catholic monk, Ruiz was soon turned into authorities.

Ruiz spent three months in jail and was then barred from returning home for another year, according to the BBC.

The law was repealed in 1979.

Now 50, Ruiz was issued an official letter from the government, as well as EUR4,000, or approximately $5,900. He is the first Spaniard to receive an official letter from the government apologizing for jailing him due to his sexual orientation.

According to the Daily Telegraph(U.K.), approximately 5,000 men were imprisoned during during Franco's dictatorship. Ruiz is one of a small number of men who were sentenced for the crime following Franco's death.