The Junta de Andalucía has published in the Regional Gazette (BOJA) the authorisation for the locating, exhumation and the identification through DNA testing of bodies in known, unmarked graves.

The graves belong to people who were executed during the Civil War and in the post-war repression and are situated against walls of the municipal cemetery on the outside.

The Town hall requested this authorisation on the 29th of May and the request was positively evaluated on the 3rd of July.

This kind of action is contemplated within the Ley 2/2017, de Memoria Histórica y Democrática de Andalucía, which aims to give a decent burial for the dead from the losing side of the war, many of whom were simply pulled from their beds and taken to be shot and buried in unmarked graves, mostly in batches – some were simply left to rot in barrancos, as was the case in Órgiva.

Although authorisation has been given, it can be appealed against in the Regional High Courts (Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía)

Editorial comment: Molvízar is very, very rightwing and the village has, or least used to have, a chapter of the Camisas Azules (Falange Española) which makes it rather surprising that the Town Hall requested it.

(News: Molvizar, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)

Keywords: Cemetery, Unmarked Graves, Executed, Exhumation, DNA Identification, Falange Española

news, andalucia, granada, costa tropical, molvizar, cemetery, unmarked graves, executed, exhumation, dna identification, falange española

Reader’s comment: “Please correct me. The poor people that had to leave the Málaga region, due to Franco’s chaps being awful, enroute to Almeria, did they have to run a gauntlet of right-wing persons. Along the way to safety?” – Patrick Barry Storey

Good question, Patrick, but basically, they were fleeing through Republican territory ahead of the advancing Nacionalist troops, so the pro-Franco civilians didn’t show their faces until those soldier had arrived, by which time the refugees had already passed through.

For those that stayed, it was a different story. Take Almuñécar, for example, where Franco’s troops just rounded up the first twelve campesinos that they found and shot them up where the Taramay trading estate now stands. – Martin

Reader’s comment: “Talking of awful situations during the wars, I believe the Spanish Foreign Legion and Native soldiers from Morocco did awful stuff to civilians that were not on the Franco side of politics. The Moroccans were rather happy to rape and pillage. Which also sadly occured throughout Italy in WW2. Reverse racism?” – P.B. Storey