Madrid - Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon on Tuesday suddenly gave up his investigation into human rights crimes committed during the 1936-39 civil war and General Francisco Franco's ensuing dictatorship.

Franco and 44 of his collaborators could no longer be held legally responsible for the crimesbecause they are dead, Garzon said in a judicial resolution.

Garzon also said he was not responsible for investigating mass graves where Franco's opponents were buried. He transferred that responsibility to the authorities in regions where the graves were located.

Prosecutors had appealed against Garzon's investigation, arguing that Franco's crimes had been covered by the 1977 amnesty granted to his collaborators.

Franco, whose uprising sparked the civil war, ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975. (dpa)