Mar 9 • 04:30 UTC 🇪🇸 Spain El País

Catalina closes at 97 the silenced story of her father, executed after the Civil War

Catalina Llopis, at the age of 97, finally receives her father's remains, Pompilio Llopis, who was unjustly executed after the Spanish Civil War.

Catalina Llopis, a 97-year-old woman from Alicante, has concluded a decades-long quest for justice as she receives the remains of her father, Pompilio Llopis, unjustly executed during the Spanish Civil War. Pompilio was falsely accused of instigating the murder of two priests in their hometown of Benissa, leading to his execution. The discovery of his remains in a mass grave in Alicante highlights the broader historical injustices faced by families of victims from this tumultuous period in Spanish history.

On a particularly poignant day in early February, Jaime Navarro, Catalina's grandson, accompanied her to a meeting with the archaeological firm Proyectos de Ingeniería Maurandi in Murcia. There, they were presented with a box containing Pompilio's remains, alongside a small bag of six buttons found in the mass grave, which are believed to have been linked to his burial. This moment marked a significant closure for Catalina, who has struggled for recognition of her father's story throughout her life.

This event not only serves as a personal closure for Catalina but also sheds light on the ongoing efforts in Spain to address the historical memory of the Civil War. The retrieval of Pompilio's remains is a reminder of the many unresolved cases of families still seeking justice for their loved ones. The case raises questions about how societies confront their past traumas and the process of healing and acknowledgment in post-conflict scenarios, especially in Spain, where such historical wounds remain sensitive and unresolved.

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