Soria Returns Franco-Era Remains, Honors 600+ Victims
A Spanish association in Soria is returning the remains of Pedro Izquierdo Lasanta and Antonio Soto, killed during the Franco era 90 years ago, to their families as part of an event honoring over 600 victims of repression.
A Spanish association is returning the remains of two men killed during the Franco era to their families. Pedro Izquierdo Lasanta and Antonio Soto were murdered 90 years ago. This event also aims to honor more than 600 people from Soria province who suffered repression during that time.
The Soria Association for Memory and Dignity announced that the events will take place on Saturday, January 24th, in Soria. The day will begin with a gathering in Plaza Mariano Granados, followed by a procession through the city center. A tribute will then be held at Espacio Santa Clara.
The Memory and Dignity association wants to shed light on the more than 600 people killed in Soria during the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship. They are also celebrating the identification of these two victims, who were very young when they died: Pedro, an electrician, was 30, and Antonio, an aviator, was 20. Pedro was killed in Renieblas, and Antonio in Ágreda.
Pedro Izquierdo Lasanta was born in Cigudosa, Soria, on February 22, 1907. He was married to María Antonia Zamora Gómez, a teacher from Extremadura. Tragically, his wife died just days after giving birth to their daughter, Ascensión. Now over 90, Ascensión has spent decades searching for her father.
Pedro worked in his village and nearby areas. On September 13, 1936, he was arrested after a neighbor in Cigudosa reported him, the association explained. He had been hiding in the village of Rebollar but was found and then shot near Renieblas.
After Pedro's murder, the mayor of Renieblas at the time asked for his body to be buried in the local cemetery. When the town refused, the mayor offered a piece of his own land. Pedro's remains stayed there until February 2025, when the Memory and Dignity association finally recovered them.
The second victim is Antonio Soto Romero, born in Tenerife in 1914. He was 22 when he died. Antonio was a pilot for the Republican army, flying a twin-engine plane when it was shot down by an Italian fighter jet, which was operating under the rebel army's command.
Antonio's remains, along with those of Luis Gil Longares, were found by chance in 2011. This happened while the association was looking for a mass grave containing four people from Zaragoza who had been shot. Antonio's remains were then entrusted to the forensic team of the Aranzadi Foundation.