Judge Orders Urgent Exhumations

Judge Baltasar Garzon, “el Superjuez” as some call him, recently ordered the urgent exhumation of 19 mass graves.  One of these is expected to contain the remains of famed poet Federico Garcia Lorca.  Much has been made during the buildup to this ruling over the question of what to do with the grave site of Federico Garcia Lorca.  Long an icon of the tragedies of the SCW and in particular of Francoist oppression, his resting site is really no different than that of many others.  Indeed, an estimated 114,000 by Garzon’s recent estimation remain “disappeared.”  Determining the whereabouts of these missing people implies the exhumation and identification of all known remains, and the hope of locating more gravesites along the way.  The decision to undertake such a process carries many assumptions. 

The first is that of a willingness, or at least acquiescence, on the part of relatives to have these remains exhumed.  For some, however, this is tantamount to profanity.  Such is the case for relatives such as Laura Garcia Lorca, niece of Federico.  In a reversal from her earlier decision to allow the exhumation, she was recently quoted as saying “we believe that there is no reason that justifies the perturbation of a cemetery or a place which holds the body not only of Federico Garcia Lorca but of lots of other dead people.”

And while this quest for the truth assumes that stepping on a few toes is okay, there is also a question of value.  At a time when the global economy is in straits and public funds will be strapped even for programs that assist those still living, does it make sense to spend what will no doubt be a vast sum on those long dead?  To be sure, this process will bring closure to some.  There is value in that.  But it is certain that the majority of those 114,000 missing souls will never be found, which raises the question of what proportion of discovery is the right proportion to justify this process.  ½?  ¼?  1/16?  Will identifying 7000 corpses and returning them to their relatives, few of whom will have ever know the deceased, justify the conflict, pain, and expense that this process entails?  I guess we’ll find out.

Some links to ponder:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/world/europe/17spain.html?ref=world

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article5014625.ece

October 31, 2008 - Posted by JME Productions, LLC | Garzon Watch | Baltasar Garzon, Dictatorship, España, executions, Franco, Guerra Civil, mass graves, Memoria Historica, Spain, Spanish Civil War