figures in the process to resignify the Valley of the Fallen , together with other individuals and groups who have spent years fighting for the recovery of their relatives ’ remains . The fact that there are Republicans in the crypts and that their relatives are demanding that their remains be recovered has put the monument on the radar of the remembrance movement . However , the 2007 Historical Memory Law already included a specific article on the Valley of the Fallen and an additional provision that gave rise to the 2011 Expert Commission , which issued many recommendations and proposed , albeit not unanimously , the exhumation of Franco and advised , this time unanimously , that José Antonio Primo de Rivera ’ s remains be relocated to a side crypt , thus dismantling the Francoist funeral hierarchy of the monument . When Rajoy was no longer in power and the aforementioned difficulties had finally been overcome , the green light was finally given to exhume Franco . Throughout this process , the Valley of the Fallen has been the subject of public debate and has taken on new layers of meaning that have nothing to do with the arguments of the Benedictine monks and their allies . The new law intends to go one step further : the site will be turned into a civil cemetery to recognize the people buried there and will form the basis for the development of a comprehensive , well-grounded education on the monument , like a kind of set-instone lesson on Francoism , as expressed in its most infamous architecture . This resignification will entail critical and open explanations , interpretations and revelations to override the hegemonic reading of the monument that still prevails .
6 . The government is working on the development of a new democratic memory act . Can you tell us about the main characteristics of this new act ? Is there anything that might stop it from being passed by the Congress of Deputies ?
Pedro Sánchez ’ s government has exercised its constitutionally recognized legislative powers to prepare a draft bill for the Democratic Memory Act , whose text was approved by the Council of
Ministers on 15 September . The draft bill seeks to recover , protect , disseminate and promote an understanding of democratic memory with a view to fostering cohesion and solidarity between different generations of Spaniards with respect to constitutional principles , values and freedoms . This will ensure that Spanish citizens can effectively exercise their individual and collective right to access information about the events that occurred in relation to the vindication and defence of democratic values and fundamental rights and freedoms in the course of Spain ’ s contemporary history . Likewise , it reiterates recognition of those who suffered persecution or violence on political , ideological or religious grounds during the Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship , and contemplates complementary measures to remove factors that divide citizens and to promote bonds based on constitutional values , principles and rights .
Key proposals include placing the victims of the Civil War and Franco ’ s dictatorship at the centre of public action ; creating a census of victims ; recognizing Spanish women ’ s active and unique contribution to the struggle for democracy ; creating instruments for collaboration and cooperation between regional governments and the participation of citizens and associations to coordinate democratic memory policy ; creating a national DNA bank and a Prosecutor ’ s Office to investigate the events that occurred ; promoting the right of access to documentary archives ; creating provisions for the reparation of victims ; incorporating democratic memory into the Spanish education system ; declaring democratic memorial sites , with a particular focus on the resignification of the Valley of the Fallen ; adopting measures to prevent glorification of the Civil War and Franco ’ s dictatorship by removing symbols and elements opposed to democratic memory , as well as distinctions , titles and decorations awarded to the protagonists or promoters of the uprising , the Civil War or the dictatorship ; and establishing a penalty system to ensure compliance with the law .
7 . Victims of the Franco regime and many of their
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