Paper short abstract:

A significant amount of work has been undertaken to locate, recover and identify victims from the Spanish Civil War. This paper provides an overview of mass grave exhumation, the identification and reburial of human remains in Spain, its impact on society and the role of the forensic anthropologist.

Paper long abstract:

The last decade has seen a significant amount of work undertaken to locate, recover and identify victims from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the Dictatorship that followed (1939-1975). This work has run in tandem with public debate and considerable media attention.

A joint effort by relatives, local communities, associations, governments and the tireless participation of scientists including forensic anthropologists has seen the excavation of over 300 clandestine graves and the recovery of the remains of more than 5000 victims. In 2011 alone, 27 mass graves have been excavated and 304 individuals recovered and returned to families.

The increased attention has led to scientists and governments collaborating to create legislations and provide guidelines. Thus, a national protocol was published in 2011 with the aim of ensuring that the right procedures and scientific rigour in benefit of the victims and their families are carried out accordingly.

This paper provides a brief background to the excavation of Mass Graves in Spain, providing information including the number of excavations undertaken and the number of victims recovered per year. The paper also provides an overview of the protocols which are now in place with regard to the search, location, excavation, recovery, identification and reburial of human remains. It also highlights some of the social implications of such work, the involvement of local communities and the role of the forensic anthropologist.

Authors: Nicholas Márquez-Grant, Francisco Etxeberria, Lourdes Herrasti, Jimi Jiménez, Carme Coch, Susanna Llidó, Luís Rios, Berta Martínez, Almudena García, Juan Montero and Fernando Serrulla