"The identification is part of the actions driven by the Democratic Memory Law"
TECNALIA’s Genetics Laboratory, accredited to carry out genetic analysis on skeletal remains, has played a key role in the identification of the remains of Manuel Girón Bazán, one of the most renowned anti-Franco guerrillas in León and Galicia
His figure, shrouded for decades between myth and history, has now been scientifically documented thanks to a multidisciplinary effort in which genetic studies have been decisive.
The identification is part of the actions driven by the Democratic Memory Law, which fosters the recovery of the remains of people who disappeared during the Civil War and the dictatorship, as well as their restitution to their families.
Conclusive genetic identification
The exhumed remains in the old Carmen Cemetery in Ponferrada have been analysed in our TECNALIA Genetics Laboratory, carrying out the following actions:
- DNA extraction and analysis of highly degraded skeletal remains, using advanced molecular biology techniques.
- Genetic comparison with a direct relative, enabling a match of 99.9% to be established, conclusively confirming the identity of Girón.
This work has been significant in closing a historical chapter that had been open for more than seven decades.
A collaborative project to recover memory
The identification has been possible thanks to a project coordinated by the historian, Alejandro Rodríguez Gutiérrez, backed by Ponferrada City Council, managed by the Sputnik Labrego Scientific Association and with the participation of Tempos Arqueólogos, the physical anthropologist, Laura González-Garrido, and TECNALIA’s Genetics Laboratory, led by Javier Margareto.
The Laboratory has provided the necessary technical and scientific capacity to solve one of the most persistent enigmas of the anti-Franco guerrilla, helping to clarify what happened to the remains of Manuel Girón Bazán, who died in 1951 after being shot by an infiltrator of the Guardia Civil.
Historical restitution and reparations to families
Ponferrada City Council has underlined the importance of this discovery to move forward in the historical truth and the moral reparation of the victims. The identification of Girón not only brings clarity to an important episode of the anti-Franco resistance, but also allows his family to be offered a dignified burial , as set out in the Democratic Memory Law.