Bolaños defends that the exhumations are a "question of humanity", also that of the Valley of the Fallen

He regrets that "a part of the right does not finish letting go of ballast" and trusts that the Memory Law will be in force by October

COLMENAR VIEJO (MADRID), Aug. 31 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Minister of the Presidency and Democratic Memory, Félix Bolaños, has defended the continuation of the search and exhumation of victims of Francoism, including in the Valley of the Fallen, as it is a "question of humanity" towards their relatives despite the fact that even a part of the right still does not support it.

Bolaños visited this Wednesday the search and exhumation work for victims of Francoist violence in the Colmenar Viejo cemetery (Madrid), where eleven remains have been located and work is now being done on their identification.

In his opinion, "it is absolutely essential" to preserve "memory and not forget the barbarity that fortunately also occurred in our country many decades ago." "I think it is essential to build a quality democracy," she stressed.

In this sense, he has announced that his Ministry and the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory are going to finance "a second phase of these works of searching for human remains and exhumation because the families deserve it". "It's a question of humanity," she has argued.

Thus, when asked about the prospects of resuming the tasks in the Valley of the Fallen, he recalled that although a judicial decision paralyzed them, "the precautionary measures are not in force right now." However, he added, "right now we do not have the necessary license from the City Council of San Lorenzo del Escorial, which has a mayor from the PP."

Given these circumstances, the minister said, work is being done "in the courts" so that the City Council grants that license and the exhumations can continue "immediately."

Thus, he has reiterated that it is "a matter of humanity, although there is a right in this country that does not finish letting go of ballast." "They have to be aware that it is a matter of humanity that the victims can recover the remains of their loved ones," she insisted.

For this reason, he added, the Law of Democratic Memory --which he hopes will come into force in October-- "clearly opts for it to be financed from the administrations, because it is a moral debt that democracy owes to the victims and because that both in the Valley of the Fallen, as here in Colmenar as in so many places, we are financing these exhumation and search tasks".

In his opinion, those who want to repeal the Democratic Memory Law are "against victims being able to recover the remains of their loved ones and give them a decent burial."

"It is of humanity that the victims who at that time suffered barbarism and repression, the execution as it happened in this place, can recover the remains of their loved ones, give them a decent burial and also remember what that tragic moment was, so black of our history to never repeat it again", has abounded.