The remains of this warrior were exhumed in January at the Begoña cemetery, where five identification plates were also found that allowed the identification of five other gudaris.
Euskaraz irakurri: Tomas Rubin EAE-ANVren gudariaren familiak horren gorpuzkiak jaso ditu, hil eta 85 urtera
Ángel Rubín, son of gudari of ANV, Tomás Rubínreceived his father’s remains on Monday, 85 years after his death in an act carried out by the Gogora Institute of the Basque Government in the cemetery of Begoña (Bilbao).
Rubín, a native of Bilbao and a bricklayer by trade, fought in the civil war and was wounded in the battle of Villareal, in Legutio (Álava) in November 1936, and died in hospital shortly afterwards. The circumstance arises that the family did not know the place where their father’s remains rested, although his case was documented and registered as buried in the Begoña cemetery. His remains were exhumed in January, as part of the Bilbao City Council’s Begoñako Argia project and in an act that could also include his children.
The comparison of DNA samples made it possible to genetically identify Tomás Rubín and deliver his remains to the family, who received them from the Basque Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policy, Beatriz Artolazabal.
The ceremony also revealed the names of five other gudaris, whose identification plates were found in the grave of the cemetery. While there is enough documented evidence to take the identity for granted, we will have to wait for a genetic comparison of the samples to confirm this.
They are the gunmen of the ‘Jean Jaures’ battalion that is affiliated with the UGT union, Ramón Crespo Ortiz, Fernando La Hera Urrutia and ngel Pérez Puertas the gudari of the ‘San Andrés’ battalion of STV, Inazio Lopetegi Olidenand the gunner of the ‘Capitán Casero’ battalion of the Republican Left, Lucas Galvete Gainza
In these five cases, it was also possible to locate their relatives who were present at the deed, including the daughter of Fernando la Hera, one of the combatants identified.
The family of was also present at the ceremony Martin Fabo Cobera, whose case is very similar to that of Tomás Rubín, a documented burial, whose burial site the family also did not know. His remains were exhumed in March this year at the Begoña cemetery and once the DNA samples are collected and identification is complete, they will be delivered to the family. Fabo, born in Marcilla (Navarra), fought in the ‘Otxandiano’ battalion, attached to the PNV and died in Bilbao in May 1937.
Contact with 64 families
In addition, Artolazabal reported on the progress made in the process of ID card of the remains of the 37 victims recovered from the common grave of the Begoña cemetery that still are to end. According to forecasts, this identification work could be completed by spring next year.
To this end, Gogora has already contacted 64 families whose cases coincide with those of the victims it wishes to identify: a fighter who died in the fighting on Mount Artxanda prior to the fall of Bilbao, between 14 and 18 June, and whose location of the burial is unknown.
These 64 cases have varying degrees of documentary and testimony. For example, in some cases there is historical documentation, research and/or ecclesiastical documents to support the case, and in others there are only family statements to confirm that a relative disappeared during the fighting in Artxanda.
Of these 64 families 12 had already donated their sample to Gogora’s DNA bank and the rest are in the process of taking a genetic sample for later comparison with the samples taken from the excavated remains.
“The dignity of this country is also in the graves”
During her speech, the counselor Beatriz Artolazabalalso responsible for the public memory policy, has reiterated the Basque government’s commitment to “improve memory policy in general and the policy related to the search for and recovery of people who disappeared in the Basque Country during the civil war.” strengthen”.
“Doing this is a duty, a democratic, institutional, social and moral obligation,” he affirmed, further underlining that “the dignity of this country is also found in the graves and remains of those gudaris and militiamen who fought for freedom and whose remains we must locate, excavate and identify.
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Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
