The Democratic Memory Bill, drafted by the Socialist-led coalition government of Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister, is intended to deal with the grievances around the victims of fascist dictator General Franco’s 1939-1975 rule as well as his forces in the civil war before it.

“Today we pay a historic debt to those who defended democracy when it was overthrown and suffered prison, exile and persecution for decades, with many shot against the walls of a cemetery or in a ditch where their remains still remain,” said Eva Granados, a Socialist senator.

Under the law, there will be exhumations of people buried in mass graves. The Spanish government estimates that some 114,000 civilians disappeared behind the lines of Franco’s forces during the civil war and dictatorship.

Spain’s senate passed the bill by 128 votes to 113, with 18 abstentions. The conservative People’s Party, hard-right Vox and centre-right Citizens party, voted against the bill.

Amelia Salanueva, a PP senator, said that the law is a is “a weapon” and a “betrayal of the Spanish” that “aims to turn us into a leftist militant democracy”.

The law also bans the Francisco Franco Foundation, a private body that preserves the dictator’s legacy.

The Association for the Recovery of Historical Memory, which argues that the law does not go far enough, said: “It speaks of truth but will not tell the story of Francoists in schools, nor of the Catholic Church [whose leadership endorsed the regime].

“It speaks of justice but will not judge anyone and speaks of reparation but will not compensate the families of the disappeared.”