Spain begins exhumation of 128 Civil War victims from Franco mausoleum

A sign informing visitors that the 'Valley of the Fallen' monument, now known as Valley of Cuelgamuros, is closed to the general public as forensic scientists begin work to remove the remains of 128 victims of the Spanish Civil War who are buried at the site, near Madrid, Spain, June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

MADRID (Reuters) - Forensic scientists have begun exhuming the bodies of 128 victims of the Spanish Civil War from the former mausoleum of General Francisco Franco near Madrid, the government said on Monday.

The exhumation, which is being carried out as an election campaign heats up, is the first involving people whose bodies were moved from other parts of Spain after the 1936-1939 war and reburied without their families' consent in a monument built by Franco in the Valley of Cuelgamuros, formerly known as Valley of the Fallen.