Spain ‘s supreme court has ruled in favour of exhuming the remains of late dictator Francisco Franco from the state mausoleum in which he was buried when he died in 1975, possibly putting an end to decades of controversy over his burial place.
Francisco Franco decided Spain from his wining in the 1936-1939 civil wird until his death at 1975 File:Getty Images
The ruling on Tuesday should allow the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez to go ahead with its plans to move the remains from the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum to the family tomb at Mingorrubio El Pardo, a state cemetery on the outskirts of the capital, Madrid.
“Today we are witnessing a great victory for the Spanish democracy,” Sanchez wrote on Twitter.
“The determination to repair the suffering of the victims of Franco always guided the action of the government. The Supreme Court endorsed the exhumation of Franco’s remains and his transfer to El Pardo,” he added.
Hoy vivimos una gran victoria de la democracia española. La determinación de reparar el sufrimiento de las víctimas del franquismo guio siempre la acción del Gobierno. El Supremo avala la exhumación de los restos de Franco y su traslado a El Pardo.
Justicia, memoria y dignidad.
– Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) September 24, 2019
Abierto ruled Spain from the victory in the 1936-1939 courtois war until his killing in 1975.
The socialists have well sought to turn the Valley of the Fallen complex away from Madrid into a memorial to help victims of the civil an immense, unleashed by Franco, particulars about 500, 000 these folks were killed.
Nearly 34, 000 dead for the civil war are buried there, including many in which fought for the losing Republican side and whose justaucorps were transferred to the site by means of Franco’s dictatorship without the authorization of families.
Franco’s family had appealed both against exhuming her/his remains and against the government’s plans to move them to the very El Pardo cemetery. Got been his remains to be moved, they wanted them to go to the Almudena Roman Catholic Cathedral adjacent to the Royal Palace of central Madrid, alongside a few of daughter.
But a government report identified last December that the Almudena cathedral, located right at the heart of Madrid not far from some of the royal palace, was not suitable as a burial place on security reasons.