The Madrid PSOE has not been able to consult the report of the company hired by the Madrid City Council to verify whether or not there is a mass grave from the Civil War with the bodies of 451 international brigade members in a plot of Montecarmelo. The City Council has not allowed access to the document to the socialist councilor Emilia Martínez, who had an appointment this Friday to do so, with the arguments that “he was not responsible for showing it to her in the offices” and “not knowing where said report is located.” , as reported by the socialist party, which on April 10 asked to see the file when it was ready.
At the end of May, sources familiar with the report confirmed to EL PAÍS that the results obtained in the georadar study are “highly compatible” with the probability that a mass grave exists and, therefore, they recommended an archaeological study – which involves digging the earth – to confirm if what is there are human bones. This week, the Cleaning Government Area had confirmed the appointment for the councilor to see file 131/2024/09743. The neighborhood associations of Montecarmelo were also waiting to be allowed to see the report to find out if a mass grave could prevent that plot from being erected a clean-up canton. But, until now, only the PSOE had made an appointment to see him.
The socialist councillor, who has not had her appointment rescheduled to return to the offices of the Cleaning Area, has described this Friday’s episode as an “obstacle” to the control work of the councillors. “From the Municipal Socialist Group, we demand that the mayor give explanations as to why he is hiding the result of this study. We are concerned that this refusal to take note of the report could end up resulting in a deficient, opaque and incomplete formation of the administrative file,” the PSOE has criticized.
The Secretary of State for Democratic Memory, Fernando Martínez, denounced this Thursday that the central government has not been able to access the report either, despite the fact that they know that it has been ready “since April.” “The studies tell us that the brigade members can be in that place where the City Council intends to build a waste canton, but obviously, if there is a pit there, they will not be able to touch that area,” said the secretary after the Territorial Memory Council. Asked what options were left to the Government, Martínez responded: “Destroying a grave is illegal. And the person who has powers over this issue is the Secretary of State for Democratic Memory.”
Democratic Memory is waiting not only for the report, but also for authorization from the Madrid City Council so that the company Arqueantro, hired by the Ministry of Territorial Policy, can occupy the land of Montecarmelo and carry out an archaeological study that will take about three weeks. However, the City Council shelved the first request in mid-May because not all the documentation had been provided. Cibeles bases its argument on the fact that article 18 of the Democratic Memory Law says that the ministry must agree on a public information period so that, in the event that there are direct descendants of the victims who do not want the remains of their relatives to be transferred , may oppose.
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The ministry has described the City Council’s response as a delaying maneuver and has defended that “article 18 of the Democratic Memory Law should not be interpreted literally.” The Association of Friends of the International Brigades (AABI) explains that, in this case, it is practically impossible to obtain the authorization of 451 relatives of 20 nationalities eight decades later. On May 20, the company hired by the ministry asked, again, the City Council for permits.
Meanwhile, the Madrid PSOE will ask the Madrid City Council that, if it is confirmed that there is a mass grave from the war in Montecarmelo, the plot can be declared a “place of democratic memory.” This is one of the points that the socialists will take to the next plenary session on June 25 to give greater protection to the land. A place of democratic memory, according to Law 20/2022, is a space “with singular relevance due to its historical significance” that must be protected, identified and, in addition, must have adequate signage. All this has been brought to the attention of the residents of Montecarmelo by the socialist councilor Reyes Maroto, who met with them on Thursday afternoon.
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