Photo of the week
In a historic day for Spain, members of the Franco family carry the coffin of the exhumed late dictator out of the Valle de los Caidos chapel yesterday - the coffin was then transfered by helicopter to Mingorrubio cemetery.
THE GOVERNMENT exhumed and relocated the remains of dictator General Francisco Franco yesterday (Thursday), bringing an end to a move that has sparked much criticism and legal battles.
The remains were taken from the chapel at the Valle de los Caídos complex near Madrid and moved to Mingorrubio cemetery close to the capital where the Franco family has a crypt.
The remains were transported over the 35-kilometre distance by helicopter. The exhumation began at 11.00 and was a private affair, with only Franco's relatives and some government officials allowed to attend, while the media was only able to witness it from outside. Gatherings of far-right -wing groups were forbidden.
The procedure was authorised after the Supreme Court recently dismissed the objections by Franco's family, ending months of delays.
However, and despite the exhumation process have been carried out, the family still plans to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.
The interim government is pushing ahead with the exhumation before Spain holds a general election on November 10 in which acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hopes to regain the full powers of his office.
Franco ruled Spain between 1939 and 1975. For many years, hundreds have met at Valle de los Caídos to commemorate the anniversaries of his November 20, 1975 death.
The exhumation follows a 2007 historic memory law that aimed to seek redress for the estimated 100,000 Franco victims who are buried in unmarked graves, including thousands at Valle de los Caídos. The law banned having Franco's remains in a place that exalted him as a political figure.