- In 1938, Aranzadi discovers in the cemetery of Jaka the remains of the leftist militia tried and shot by a military tribunal. This finding has been the result of research and collaboration carried out by municipalities and associations of Galdakao and Jaca and by a family member of Asua. According to various sources, there could be another 400 rifles in the cemetery.
The members of the Society of Aranzadi Sciences began on Thursday the work of discovering the remains of Pedro Asua in the Jaka cemetery and are after several days. According to the City Hall of Galdakao, all evidence indicates that the bones found are owned by Asua, but to ensure it they will perform DNA tests.
The discovery has been the result of several years of research and the collaboration of many institutions and associations. In Jaka has been Josu Larrea, the little nephew of Pedro Asua, the municipal representatives of Galdakao and Jaca, the historian Ander Aperribai, hired by the City Council of Galdakao, and the members of the Republican Circle of Jaca, among others. The information provided by both parties has been crucial for the location of the remains of Asua. On 21 December they met for the first time to obtain the necessary permits and to carry out the excavations that have been carried out.
Pedro Asua was 21 years old when he was killed. He was arrested in Bilbao during a fight with the Republicans when the city fell into the hands of the Francoists in 1937 and sent to Jaca a workers' battalion. After a complaint, he was tried and shot in the military court on 7 February 1938. He was buried in a grave by the cemetery.
Josu Larrea discovered in 2005 that his uncle was killed in this Aragonese city and began searching.
His little nephew, Josu Larrea, learned in 2005 that his uncle was killed in this Aragonese city and began searching. He then contacted the members of Aranzadi and the City Council of Galdakao, and finally met him thanks to the steps taken by the latter and the recruitment made.
400 people in mass graves
The location of the remains corresponds to the information that appears in the graveyard's record book, finding along with them the remains of other rifles to which the same source refers. This eviction has therefore paved the way for the recovery of the mortal remains of some 400 people who could be buried in Jaka.
If the latest tests do not rule out fraternity, the family wants to bring the remains of Asua to the Galdakao cemetery, if possible, to leave them in a differentiated area. Indeed, the lands in which this cemetery is now located belonged to the family of Asua and, being his only son, “would mean returning to those lands that would be his own,” explains his niece.