Exhumations at Valle de Cuelgamuros Authorized Amid Legal Challenges
Minister confirms ongoing efforts to exhume remains despite recent court rulings against local licenses
The exhumation of remains at Valle de Cuelgamuros continues, confirmed Ángel Víctor Torres, the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, on Wednesday.
This announcement follows the Madrid Superior Court of Justice (TSJM) estimating appeals presented by the National Heritage and the San Lorenzo de El Escorial City Council, which had contested a ruling that reversed the urban planning license needed for the exhumation works.
According to Torres, the TSJM's decision is a significant victory for families of the victims, as well as for the principles of reparative justice and democratic memory.
On March 26, Torres stated via social media that the TSJM's ruling favors continuity in the exhumation efforts against entities such as the Francisco Franco Foundation and far-right organizations that have sought to halt these operations.
In September, a court in Madrid annulled the agreement from the San Lorenzo de El Escorial City Council granting the necessary urban planning license for the exhumation works at the Basilica of Valle de los Caídos, now referred to as Valle de Cuelgamuros.
This annulment was in accordance with applications from various complainants, including the Francisco Franco Foundation and the Association for Reconciliation and Historical Truth.
Earlier, in November 2021, the Administrative Court No. 10 of Madrid had provisionally suspended the exhumation license.
However, the TSJM later reversed this suspension, a decision ratified by the Supreme Court in March.
The forensic work to exhume the remains of 128 victims at Valle de Cuelgamuros began over the past summer.
Minister Torres's remarks underscore ongoing tensions surrounding the site, which has been a focal point for discussions on historical memory and reconciliation in Spain.
This announcement follows the Madrid Superior Court of Justice (TSJM) estimating appeals presented by the National Heritage and the San Lorenzo de El Escorial City Council, which had contested a ruling that reversed the urban planning license needed for the exhumation works.
According to Torres, the TSJM's decision is a significant victory for families of the victims, as well as for the principles of reparative justice and democratic memory.
On March 26, Torres stated via social media that the TSJM's ruling favors continuity in the exhumation efforts against entities such as the Francisco Franco Foundation and far-right organizations that have sought to halt these operations.
In September, a court in Madrid annulled the agreement from the San Lorenzo de El Escorial City Council granting the necessary urban planning license for the exhumation works at the Basilica of Valle de los Caídos, now referred to as Valle de Cuelgamuros.
This annulment was in accordance with applications from various complainants, including the Francisco Franco Foundation and the Association for Reconciliation and Historical Truth.
Earlier, in November 2021, the Administrative Court No. 10 of Madrid had provisionally suspended the exhumation license.
However, the TSJM later reversed this suspension, a decision ratified by the Supreme Court in March.
The forensic work to exhume the remains of 128 victims at Valle de Cuelgamuros began over the past summer.
Minister Torres's remarks underscore ongoing tensions surrounding the site, which has been a focal point for discussions on historical memory and reconciliation in Spain.
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