Documentary "Santiago Carrillo, Paracuellos Del Jarama" from the History Channel
The so-called Paracuellos massacres were a series of mass killings carried out behind the lines during the Battle of Madrid, in the course of the Spanish Civil War. They involved the mass execution of prisoners considered to be on the Nationalist side by the Republican side. The events took place in two locations near the city of Madrid: the area around the San José stream, in Paracuellos de Jarama, and the Aldovea grove, in the municipality of Torrejón de Ardoz.
The extrajudicial executions were carried out during the transfer of prisoners from various Madrid prisons, popularly known as "sacas," which took place between November 7 and December 4, 1936, while government and Nationalist troops clashed for control of the city. Of the 33 prisoner roundups that took place on the aforementioned dates, 23 ended in massacres: those on November 7, 8, 9, 18, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, and those on December 1 and 3. There were no roundups between November 10 and 17, and they ceased on December 4.²
The aforementioned convoys were diverted to the San José stream area in the Jarama River valley and to a disused irrigation canal in the Henares River valley, where thousands of prisoners were murdered. Among them were military personnel who had participated in the uprising or who had not joined the defense of the Republic, Falangists, religious figures, aristocrats, right-wing activists, members of the bourgeoisie, and others who, for the most part, had been arrested for being considered supporters of the uprising and imprisoned without legal protection or formal charges.
The prisoners taken from the prisons were removed with lists drawn up and transfer or release notices bearing the letterhead of the General Directorate of Security and, on occasion, signed by Segundo Serrano Poncela, the Public Order Delegate of the Public Order Department of the Madrid Defense Council. The President of the Defense Council was General José Miaja, and the Public Order Department was headed by Santiago Carrillo. Subsequently, as mentioned, the prisoners listed in the 23 mass executions were summarily shot by militias belonging to workers' organizations.
Before November 7, several massacres had already taken place, especially during October, as a result of the transfer of control of the prisons from prison officials to militias following the assault on the Modelo prison on August 22, 1936. However, the number of those killed was much lower, and these massacres lacked the systematic and organized character of those in November and December. sup 4 /sup
The Paracuellos massacres are considered the largest to have taken place in the rear guard of the Republican zone. According to Paul Preston, "the massacres and executions, known collectively as 'Paracuellos,' constituted the greatest atrocity committed in Republican territory during the Spanish Civil War, and their horror can be explained, though not justified, by the terrifying conditions of the besieged capital." sup 5 /sup
The number of those killed reached approximately 2,500, although the exact figure remains a subject of debate. Also subject to heated discussions are aspects such as who gave the order to execute those evacuated from the prisons, why some roundups ended in mass murders while in others, the fewest, the prisoners arrived safe and sound at their destination and, ultimately, the direct and indirect responsibilities for the executions.