The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, presided today, in Zaragoza, the Territorial Council of Democratic Memory, where three million euros have been distributed among the autonomous communities for the exhumation, identification and reparation of the victims of the War and the dictatorship, whose bodies still remain in graves, ditches and wells.

“Our intention is that not a single body remains to be identified, nor any memory to be claimed,” said Torres.

Fourteen autonomous communities have voted in favour and three have abstained, Madrid, Region of Murcia and Comunitat Valencia. “I am grateful that there was no ‘no’ vote and majority support for the distribution of funds,” the minister said.

Torres explained that these three million approved today for the exhumations and dignification of the victims “add to other items received by the FEMP, as well as the financing of other projects put in place by deputies, consells and island councils destined also for exhumations.”

In today’s Territorial Council, forensic scientist Paco Etxeberría has explained the DNA work and verifications for the identifications. In addition, the exceptional work carried out in the Cuelgamuros Valley has been presented, with experts, forensic experts and anthropologists who, according to Torres, accompanied by the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez, “is allowing the relatives of the victims to be handed over the bodies they demanded of us, after 200 petitions arrived from different parts of Spain. Bodies are being identified, with extreme rigor, although the passage of decades has greatly deteriorated the boxes, but the work is done with the dignity required by the people who gave their lives and those of their families.”

Two communities were unable to vote because their representatives were not present and they did not spend last year’s funds.

On the other hand, the meeting also discussed the progress of the DNA bank of victims of the War and the dictatorship, which will provide a global database at territorial level and which will greatly facilitate the genetic identification of the victims and, therefore, the reparation of their relatives.