Las Trece Rosas

"Las Trece Rosas" (the "Thirteen Roses") is the name given in Spain to a group of thirteen young women, seven of whom were under age, who were executed by a Francoist firing squad just after the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War, as part of a massive execution campaign known as the "saca de agosto" along with 43 young men. The thirteen victims' names were: Carmen Barrero Aguado, Martina Barroso García, Blanca Brissac Vázquez, Pilar Bueno Ibáñez, Julia Conesa Conesa, Adelina García Casillas, Elena Gil Olaya, Virtudes González García, Ana López Gallego, Joaquina López Laffite, Dionisia Manzanero Salas, Victoria Muñoz García, and Luisa Rodríguez de la Fuente.

Following the capitulation of Madrid to Franco's troops and the Civil War's end, the Madrid Provincial Committee of the Unified Socialist Youth (JSU) (an organisation resulting from the merger of the Socialist Youth and the Communist Youth even though most pro-PSOE members had abandoned the organisation) tried to reorganise under the leadership of 21-year-old José Peña Brea. He was arrested and tortured having been betrayed. Unable to withstand the pain, he revealed the names of his collaborators, which led to a wave of arrests of JSU members in Madrid. The Thirteen Roses were among the many JSU members captured and imprisoned by the police. During their detention in the Ventas prison they were repeatedly tortured and humiliated, and conditions in the prison were considered inhumane and overcrowded. They were ultimately executed by firing squad against the wall of the East Cemetery (now la Almudena) on August 5, 1939. Many of their comrades at the prison recall that while they were being driven away by lorry to their deaths, they sang the "Youthful Guardsmen" (JSU's anthem) so as to be heard by their comrades who remained in jail. The victims were accused of aiding a military rebellion and of assassinating a high-ranking political police officer who was murdered after they had already been detained.

In 2005, a foundation ("Fundación Trece Rosas") was created in Spain to keep alive their memory.

References

* Jesús Ferrero, "Las Trece Rosas", Madrid, Siruela, 2003
* Carlos Fonseca, "Trece Rosas Rojas", Madrid, Temas De Hoy, 2004

External links

* [http://www.trecerosas.es Foundation Trece Rosas]