Browse Topics
Tools
Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home News Spanish News Spain unearths bodies of civil war victims
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


11/06/2009Spain unearths bodies of civil war victims

So far, three skulls have been found in the northwestern village of Santa Marta de Tera.

Santa Marta De Tera – The remains of some victims of Spain's civil war were unearthed for the first time Wednesday as part of an investigation launched by a leading judge.

The exhumation work began on Monday at a site in the northwestern village of Santa Marta de Tera under the supervision of a local judge, Tania Chico, and with the help of the Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH).

The remains of eight people are believed to be buried in two graves at the site.

On Wednesday, the ARMH said three skulls were found.

"This could help other judges who are still hesitating to follow the judicial process" launched by Madrid Judge Baltasar Garzon, the vice president of the association, Santiago Macias, told AFP.

Garzon had announced in October he would probe the disappearances of 114,266 people during the civil war and the ensuing dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, which lasted until his death in 1975, with a view to filing charges for crimes against humanity.

He later bowed to a demand by public prosecutors and announced he was dropping the investigation.

But he also handed to regional courts the responsibility for the excavation of mass graves thought to contain the bodies of thousands of people who disappeared during the period.

Chico is the first judge to directly authorise such exhumations.

The grave opened Monday in the province of Zamora is believed to contain the remains of four farmers shot by Franco supporters in August 1936.

The ARMH suspects a second grave nearby contains four other men shot two months later.

Historians estimate that 500,000 people from both sides were killed in the civil war, which was sparked by Franco's Nationalist insurgency against the democratically elected left-wing Republican government.

A brutal wave of repression followed the Nationalists' victory as Franco sought to consolidate power.

ARMH, set up in 2000, has already recovered the remains of more than a thousand of those who disappeared, but separately from Garzon's investigation.

AFP / Expatica

0 reactions to this article

Discussion Forums

Legal Problems

Where to get no-crime record?, by honantong

Housing

Communities around Toledo, by feobee79

ES Community Noticeboard

Part Time Work Needed in Madrid and Barcelona, by marthaa

Soapbox

Books on Spain for Christmas, by shuggie

Discuss Spanish Culture

Are Spanish people Tactless and arrogant or just forthright?, by john4efc66

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Checklist for expats moving to Spain

Checklist for expats moving to Spain

Before you head out to explore the new city, make sure your paperwork's all done by referring to our guide.

Family support and play groups in Spain

Family support and play groups in Spain

Moving to a new country with young children is never easy. Seek support and advice by referring to Expatica’s guide.

Your survival guide to living in Spain

Your survival guide to living in Spain

Thinking about moving to Spain? Just moved here and need help? Check out our guide, your one-stop shop for surviving and thriving abroad.

Public transport in Spain

Public transport in Spain

Here’s a guide to how the bus, metros, trains, trams, ferries and taxis work in Spain.