A delegation from the Basque Government works in Extremadura in search of relatives of deceased prisoners in the Central Prison of Orduña to carry out DNA tests and genetic identification of remains. In fact, according to historical documentation, of the 225 prisoners who died in Orduña Prison between 1937 and 1941, the majority were Extremadura (127) and were taken to the city from Castua Prison (Badajoz). The rest were from Castilla-La Mancha (41) and Málaga (22).

So far two excavation campaigns have been carried out in Orduña in the years 2014 and 2022. The work has been carried out in collaboration with the City of Castuera, through the agreement signed with the Society of Sciences Aranzadi and within the Civil War Missing Search Program of the Basque Government. As a result, the remains of 71 people have been lost and the challenge is to identify them. The Gogoratuz Institute is coordinating the identification of victims and has already managed with 41 families the DNA sample collection procedure.

In excavations carried out last December 53 people were found due to citizen involvement and neighborhood work. The City Council noted that they will try to return them to their relatives and, if they cannot do so, they will leave their remains in the Columbarium of Dignity.

Basque Government in Extremadura

The aim of the Basque Government’s journey to Castua is to contact as many relatives as possible who can give DNA. They also want to make the media, historical memory associations and the victims' families aware of the eviction work carried out so far. The presentation will take place on Saturday, January 28, at 11:00 at the Castuera Nougat Museum.

The Basque Government has announced that the event will be chaired by the Minister for Equality, Justice and Social Policies, Beatriz Artolazabal, and will be attended by the vice-advisor for Human Rights, Memory and Cooperation, José Antonio Rodríguez Ranz, and the director of the Institute of Memory, Coexistence and Human Rights, Tzarane.