Spain, February 08: Descendants of the victims of the Spanish Civil War have called on the government to speed the exhumation of mass burials, as time runs out for the identification of those killed 75 years ago.
Experts say that there are over 2,000 unmarked burial sites dating back over seven decades across the European country, a Media correspondent reported.
When Spain’s former leader General Francisco Franco died in 1975, key political figures, many of whom had been a part of Franco’s government, made arrangements for the country’s transformation into a democracy.
At the time, an unofficial agreement of silence, known as the ‘Pactos de la Moncloa’ was put in force by the same authorities.
The controversial move forced courts to abandon murder trials, leaving families of the missing and dead bitter and angry.
After nearly four decades, in the year 2006, the Spanish government ratified a law authorizing exhumation of the war’s mass graves.
Since that time, however, a mere ten percent of the burials have been exhumed.
The snail-like process is widely blamed on the Spanish government’s politicization of the issue and its reluctance to open Spain’s old wounds.
But the families of the missing dead — who are desperate to identify the victims of the Civil War — remain undaunted.
Nuria, whose uncle went missing during the devastating war, told Press TV on Monday that she and her family are angry at the extreme bureaucratic insensitivity.
She added that she will continue to fight for justice and called on authorities to compensate the relatives of the victims.
But, with all the recriminations, lack of financial support and foot-dragging, time is running out for the identification of the victims of the war.
Experts say the reliability of DNA testing, which is vital for identification, starts to decrease after several decades.
——–Agencies