MADRID (AP) A United Nations team has urged Spanish authorities to investigate long-neglected allegations of disappearances during Spain's 36-year Franco dictatorship.
A team from the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances said in a preliminary report Monday that "it is regrettable the situation of impunity for cases of enforced disappearances."
It noted Spain has "no ongoing effective criminal investigation" into the claims of thousands of disappearances and called on authorities to "engage more actively" in investigations. It said Spain has so far taken only "limited steps" to solve the cases.
Gen. Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975.
The team spent a week in Spain interviewing hundreds of family members of those who disappeared. Its final report on the visit will be presented next year.
