Spain nun in court over babies stolen under Franco

Spain nun in court over babies stolen under Franco

A Spanish nun has become the first person to appear in court in connection with the alleged theft of newborn babies, mostly in the Franco era.
Sister Maria Gomez Valbuena, 80, is accused of stealing a mother’s newborn daughter at a Madrid hospital in 1982.
Appearing before a judge on Thursday, Sister Maria refused to testify.
Thousands of babies are thought to have been taken from parents in hospitals and given to other families during the Franco dictatorship and later.
The alleged thefts are thought to have started in the 1936-39 Civil War. Some cases are believed to happened as late as the 1990s.
The practice is believed to have been motivated by a desire to remove children from “undesirable” left-wing parents and give them to “approved” right-wing families.
Source: The BBC