Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Franco Exhumation Inflames Spain's Political Tensions

Henry Ridgwell

   LONDON -- The body of former Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco
   was exhumed from its grandiose mausoleum outside Madrid Thursday, the
   culmination of a decades-long campaign to end what many saw as the
   glorification of the 20th century dictator.

   The coffin was dug up from beneath marble slabs and two tons of
   granite, where it had lain for 44 years since Franco's death in 1975.
   It was carried by family members and taken away by helicopter to a
   cemetery outside the capital, where it was reburied next to the grave
   of his wife.

   The move marks the latest chapter in Spain's struggle to reconcile its
   dark past. General Franco led Spain from 1939 after defeating
   Republican forces in a civil war, until his death. It's estimated that
   more than 100,000 political opponents were killed under his
   dictatorship.

   Celebrations were held in the capital and several other Spanish cities
   following the exhumation; however, hundreds of Franco supporters
   protested the decision outside the cemetery where his body now lies.

.