ARMH calls for exhumation of Trujillo’s remains in Madrid Cemetery

Spain.- The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory (ARMH) has called on the Spanish government to exhume the remains of Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo from the El Pardo-Mingorrubio cemetery in Madrid, where they have been buried since 1970. This request comes as the ARMH marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which coincides with the day the Trujillo regime ordered the murder of the Mirabal sisters—Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa—who were victims of political violence under his dictatorship.

ARMH argues that Spanish public property should not be used to honor a dictator like Trujillo and demands that the Spanish government take action to remove his remains. They also call for an official statement condemning the Mirabal sisters’ deaths and rejecting those responsible for their murder. The El Pardo-Mingorrubio cemetery, which houses the graves of both Trujillo and other controversial figures like Spanish dictator Francisco Franco and Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, is part of Spain’s National Heritage, although it is managed by Madrid City Council.

Trujillo’s remains were originally buried in the Dominican Republic after his assassination in 1961. After several unsuccessful attempts to bury him elsewhere, his body was eventually flown to Paris and later reburied in Madrid with his son, Ramfis, who had died in a car accident. The mausoleum where Trujillo is buried carries the simple inscription “Trujillo Family,” reflecting the family’s efforts to maintain his legacy even after his death.