Moncloa, Madrid
The work of exhumation of the remains of 160 war victims, carried out in the Cuelgamuros Valley at the request of their relatives, continues to give positive results.
The attendees of the meeting have been informed of the progress in the exhumations in level 2 of the crypt of the Holy Sepulchre, which is where most of the remains of the victims from different towns of Zaragoza and Tarragona are located. They have also been informed of the current stalemate in the work due to the extremely cautious measures adopted by the Central Administrative Court No. 11.
Despite the difficulties due to the degree of conservation of the boxes, to date a significant number of remains have been located and, after anthropological and radiographic analysis in the laboratory installed in the Valley, more than 200 samples have been taken that are being sent to the laboratories for the genetic analysis and DNA matching of their relatives. The genetic results will take some time and as long as positive results are obtained, the affected family members will be personally notified. If necessary, the delivery of the remains will be planned with the relatives.
The forensic team in charge of this research, of high qualification and experience, acts in accordance with ethical and deontological principles typical of the Forensic Sciences and applying universally recognized methodologies and protocols.
The work is carried out from National Heritage under the coordination of the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, in accordance with the determined will of the Government of Spain to place the victims of war and dictatorship at the center of public policies of memory. All this with the aim of repairing as soon as possible the pain of those who have spent decades trying to recover the remains of their loved ones to give them a dignified burial.