Summer 2009
This is a summary of some of the incidents that took place in Basque Country in the last two weeks of July.
Basque political prisoners in three different Spanish jails were attacked by guards and taken to solitary confinement. This situation happens often and sometimes prisoners have to go on hunger strike to denounce them and get their basic rights respected. This is the case of Sebas Lasa who entered his 9th day on hunger strike today. He’s already lost 6 kilos.
Former Basque prisoner and pro-independence activist Alain Berastegi denounced last week that he was kidnapped and tortured in a forest by ten masked men on the 17th of July.
Basque prisoner Jose Mari Sagardui "Gatza", the oldest political prisoner in Europe has already spent 29 years in Spanish jails. According to Spanish law he should have been released in 2005. He’s spent most of his life in jail. His home town has seen many demonstrations for his support and even the Basque Autonomous Region’s Parliament has asked for his release.
The Spanish flag hanging from the balcony of the local government buildings in Gernika was burnt over the weekend. It’s within the building’s gardens where the Basque liberties’ symbol, the Gernika Tree is situated. Gernika was bombed in 1937 by the Spanish fascists in the first civilian bombing of history and killed 2,000 people.
Two pro-independence youths have been arrested in the early hours of today by the Spanish Guardia Civil police. One of them is surfer champion Iker Acero. The arrested pair have been taken to the Basque youth website Gaztesarea offices in what seems to be an operation against this popular communication project.
Last week 38-year-old Basque political refugee Ekai Alkorta was arrested in the north of the Basque Country under French administration and sent to prison following an arrest warrant issued by the Spanish Special Court.
Young pro-independence activist Xan Beyrie was also imprisoned after his solicitor's appeal was refused by the French judges. He was previously arrested along with 12 pro-independence youths in the north of the Basque Country at the end of June and was released on bail.
The Basque-Spanish police continues with its campaign to make all expressions of solidarity with Basque political prisoners disappear. Prisoners' pictures and solidarity banners are being taken off walls, festivals, balconies, bars...The largest Basque trade union ELA denounced this practice and reminded people that Basque political prisoners are scattered in jails around France and Spain while many of them should be released under Spanish law after finishing their sentences or due to serious illnesses.
Last week the Spanish Supreme Court ordered the disbanding of all local pro-independence ANV/Basque Nationalist Action councillors groups. Elorrio town’s pro-independence mayor said they’ve been denied public funds and that this is yet another step in the process of banning the ANV party.
A Basque volunteers’ garden of remembrance was riddled with bullets two weeks ago and was defaced with pro-Spanish graffiti over the last weekend in Oiartzun, near Donostia/San Sebastian.
The Spanish Coordination to Prevent Torture group said last week the Spanish authorities promote torture and impunity after the Spanish government failed to comply with the implementation of the National Mechanism to Prevent Torture.
150 Basque, European and American lawyers signed a petition to ask for the immediate release of Basque political prisoners' solicitor Inaki Goioaga. Inaki was arrested one month ago and accused of helping in an attempt prison escape in 2007. The arrest has been seen as an effort to threaten the Basque political prisoners’ solicitors work.
Last Saturday hundreds of mainly young people rallied in the northern town of Donibane Lohitzune/Saint Jéan de Luz. The demonstration had been called by the pro-independence youth organization Segi to protest against the recent months French police operations. During the last protest at the end of June, 12 young people were arrested.
30 years ago Joxe Antonio Otxoantesana had to escape from Spanish repression to Mexico. For three decades he helped Basque escapees in the north American country. He died last month from a brain haemorrhage. One of his sons last Sunday brought his ashes back to the Basque Country. Hundreds of people were waiting for him at the airport. Finally, hundreds more paid a well deserved homage to Otxoantesana in his home town of Ondarru where his ashes were scattered into the sea.
1 August 2009
August 09
- -ETA destroys police barracks in Burgos and Kills two Guardia Civil in Majorca.
- -Former Basque prisoner kidnapped and tortured.
- Attacks against Basque prisoners.
- -Three months without Jon.
- Basque prisoner enters 30th year in jail.
NEWS :
-ETA destroys police barracks in Burgos and Kills two Guardia Civil in Majorca.
A strong van bomb destroyed the Spanish Guardia Civil police barracks in Burgos near the Basque Country . 47 people were injured. There were fears of an escalation of violence in Spain by Eta, after a bomb placed under a car on the island of Mallorca killed two members of the Guardia Civil only 34 hours after the first incident.
Some analysts set the 31st of July 1959 as the ETA’s creation day.
The pro-independence movement said on a statement that it’s impossible to defeat ETA through police means and that the only way to resolve the political conflict it’s through inclusive dialogue, negotiation and respect the Basque people’s rights.
-Former Basque prisoner kidnapped and tortured.
Former Basque prisoner and pro-independence activist Alain Berastegi denounced last week that he was kidnapped and tortured in a forest by ten masked men on the 17th of July.
Everything started when he was call to do a building job in Irunberri, near Irunea/Pamplona. Two men asked him to follow them to a forest where they said they had an old farm they wanted to refurbish. It was there where another ten men wearing masks and guns were waiting for him. They questioned and tortured him for 7 hours.
They beat him and asphyxiated him with a plastic bag.
The masked men, most probably Spanish policemen, asked him to collaborate with them. They offered him money and threatened him with arrest if he didn’t help him or if he denounced what happened.
Alain was released after being told to meet them again in another day in the following days. Instead the former Basque prisoner denounced what happened to him in court and in a press conference.
The organisation against repression Askatasuna said that this is the new 21st century dirty war but reminded people that it was the Spanish Socialist government which set up the GAL death squads in the 80’s. The Spanish Socialist Party is again in power in Spain.
In the last 6 months 4 former political prisoners and pro-independence activists have been kidnapped and one of them is still missing.
Askatasuna denounced the main political parties and mass media silence around these kidnappings.
-Attacks against Basque prisoners.
Basque political prisoners in three different Spanish jails were attacked by guards and taken to solitary confinement. This situation happens often and sometimes prisoners have to go on hunger strike to denounce them and get their basic rights respected. This is the case of Sebas Lasa who entered his 9th day on hunger strike today. He’s already lost 6 kilos.
A former Basque prisoner saw his parents' house attacked last week just two days after being released. The Goikoetxea family’s house was painted with threats and the entrance was burnt in broad daylight. Another son is currently in jail.
-Three months without Jon.
Basque political prisoner Jon Anza was released after 20 years in jail and then moved to the north of the Basque Country to be free from Spanish police harassment. Three months ago he went missing. His family and the Basque pro-independence movement have said the Spanish secret services and the French government are responsible for his disappearance. ETA said in a statement that Jon was a member of the organization at the time he went missing.
Other Basque political refugees were kidnapped, tortured and killed by pro-Spanish death squads in collusion with Spanish and French police in the 80’s and some of them are still missing.
In an interview carried out by the newspaper Gara over the last weekend Jon Anza’s girlfriend speaks of the hard three months herself and Jon's other relatives and friends are having not knowing what happened to him. She denounces the political parties and mass media silence surrounding the case and expresses her sorrow. Jon Anza’s girlfriend goes on to say it’s been a political kidnapping. She thanks the people for their support and campaign across the Basque Country.
Posters with Jon Anza’s face asking where is he can be seen on walls and banners around the country and protests are constantly being held.
The Basque pro-independence movement accused the Spanish government of reactivating the dirty war and pointed at the French government as an accomplice in it. At a press conference last week pro-independence spokespersons reaffirmed their commitment to continue working to achieve an democratic scenario and warned that the dirty war won’t distract them from that work.
-Basque prisoner enters 30th year in jail.
Basque prisoner Jose Mari Sagardui "Gatza", the oldest political prisoner in Europe has already spent 29 years in Spanish jails. According to Spanish law he should have been released in 2005. He’s spent most of his life in jail. His home town has seen many demonstrations for his support and even the Basque Autonomous Region’s Parliament has asked for his release.
Since his arrest on the 8th of July 1980 when he was brutally tortured, he has been in 13 different Spanish jails and in total he’s been transfered 34 times. In those 30 years he’s been in prisons in the Basque Country just twice, and only for a very short period.
He is currently being detained in Jaen’s jail, 730 kilometres from his home.
He has been a victim of the different Spanish prison policies including those of the cruel treatment in Carabanchel, the dispersal policy and currently the extreme confinement in Jaen. There is no natural light in his cell, and all his communications and movements are under strict control. He’s kept in isolation for 20 hours per day and under the hardest prison regime.
The Basque pro-amnesty movement has reiterated that despite the Spanish and French states not recognizing the political status of Basque prisoners, the measures they impose upon them are political.
Gatza has numerous obstacles to continue with his university studies and has many obstacles to get medical assistance.
Due to the relentless changes introduced by the Spanish authorities to act against the Basque political prisoners, Gatza has seen his remissions denied. He also saw his sentence modified and increased to 30 years.
- -Former Basque prisoner kidnapped and tortured.
- Attacks against Basque prisoners.
- -Three months without Jon.
- Basque prisoner enters 30th year in jail.
NEWS :
-ETA destroys police barracks in Burgos and Kills two Guardia Civil in Majorca.
A strong van bomb destroyed the Spanish Guardia Civil police barracks in Burgos near the Basque Country . 47 people were injured. There were fears of an escalation of violence in Spain by Eta, after a bomb placed under a car on the island of Mallorca killed two members of the Guardia Civil only 34 hours after the first incident.
Some analysts set the 31st of July 1959 as the ETA’s creation day.
The pro-independence movement said on a statement that it’s impossible to defeat ETA through police means and that the only way to resolve the political conflict it’s through inclusive dialogue, negotiation and respect the Basque people’s rights.
-Former Basque prisoner kidnapped and tortured.
Former Basque prisoner and pro-independence activist Alain Berastegi denounced last week that he was kidnapped and tortured in a forest by ten masked men on the 17th of July.
Everything started when he was call to do a building job in Irunberri, near Irunea/Pamplona. Two men asked him to follow them to a forest where they said they had an old farm they wanted to refurbish. It was there where another ten men wearing masks and guns were waiting for him. They questioned and tortured him for 7 hours.
They beat him and asphyxiated him with a plastic bag.
The masked men, most probably Spanish policemen, asked him to collaborate with them. They offered him money and threatened him with arrest if he didn’t help him or if he denounced what happened.
Alain was released after being told to meet them again in another day in the following days. Instead the former Basque prisoner denounced what happened to him in court and in a press conference.
The organisation against repression Askatasuna said that this is the new 21st century dirty war but reminded people that it was the Spanish Socialist government which set up the GAL death squads in the 80’s. The Spanish Socialist Party is again in power in Spain.
In the last 6 months 4 former political prisoners and pro-independence activists have been kidnapped and one of them is still missing.
Askatasuna denounced the main political parties and mass media silence around these kidnappings.
-Attacks against Basque prisoners.
Basque political prisoners in three different Spanish jails were attacked by guards and taken to solitary confinement. This situation happens often and sometimes prisoners have to go on hunger strike to denounce them and get their basic rights respected. This is the case of Sebas Lasa who entered his 9th day on hunger strike today. He’s already lost 6 kilos.
A former Basque prisoner saw his parents' house attacked last week just two days after being released. The Goikoetxea family’s house was painted with threats and the entrance was burnt in broad daylight. Another son is currently in jail.
-Three months without Jon.
Basque political prisoner Jon Anza was released after 20 years in jail and then moved to the north of the Basque Country to be free from Spanish police harassment. Three months ago he went missing. His family and the Basque pro-independence movement have said the Spanish secret services and the French government are responsible for his disappearance. ETA said in a statement that Jon was a member of the organization at the time he went missing.
Other Basque political refugees were kidnapped, tortured and killed by pro-Spanish death squads in collusion with Spanish and French police in the 80’s and some of them are still missing.
In an interview carried out by the newspaper Gara over the last weekend Jon Anza’s girlfriend speaks of the hard three months herself and Jon's other relatives and friends are having not knowing what happened to him. She denounces the political parties and mass media silence surrounding the case and expresses her sorrow. Jon Anza’s girlfriend goes on to say it’s been a political kidnapping. She thanks the people for their support and campaign across the Basque Country.
Posters with Jon Anza’s face asking where is he can be seen on walls and banners around the country and protests are constantly being held.
The Basque pro-independence movement accused the Spanish government of reactivating the dirty war and pointed at the French government as an accomplice in it. At a press conference last week pro-independence spokespersons reaffirmed their commitment to continue working to achieve an democratic scenario and warned that the dirty war won’t distract them from that work.
-Basque prisoner enters 30th year in jail.
Basque prisoner Jose Mari Sagardui "Gatza", the oldest political prisoner in Europe has already spent 29 years in Spanish jails. According to Spanish law he should have been released in 2005. He’s spent most of his life in jail. His home town has seen many demonstrations for his support and even the Basque Autonomous Region’s Parliament has asked for his release.
Since his arrest on the 8th of July 1980 when he was brutally tortured, he has been in 13 different Spanish jails and in total he’s been transfered 34 times. In those 30 years he’s been in prisons in the Basque Country just twice, and only for a very short period.
He is currently being detained in Jaen’s jail, 730 kilometres from his home.
He has been a victim of the different Spanish prison policies including those of the cruel treatment in Carabanchel, the dispersal policy and currently the extreme confinement in Jaen. There is no natural light in his cell, and all his communications and movements are under strict control. He’s kept in isolation for 20 hours per day and under the hardest prison regime.
The Basque pro-amnesty movement has reiterated that despite the Spanish and French states not recognizing the political status of Basque prisoners, the measures they impose upon them are political.
Gatza has numerous obstacles to continue with his university studies and has many obstacles to get medical assistance.
Due to the relentless changes introduced by the Spanish authorities to act against the Basque political prisoners, Gatza has seen his remissions denied. He also saw his sentence modified and increased to 30 years.
11 July 2009
July 2009
- Strasbourg’s judgement supports political apartheid.
- Basque activists still at risk of extradition.
- More arrests in France.
- European election votes still missing
NEWS :
-Strasbourg’s judgement supports political apartheid.
The European Court of Human Rights, based in Strasbourg, has made a judgement related to the Spanish "Law on Political Parties". In the judgement the Court supported the bannings of pro-independence political parties in the Basque Country.
In a press conference pro-independence spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi said that the judgement does not contribute in any way to the political settlement of the Basque conflict, but just the opposite. Otegi continued: “We believe that it is a clear step backwards for fundamental rights and freedoms in the European framework which can affect other progressive organisations in the future if they raise questions about the legal framework of the states in which they act.”
According to Otegi the Court has accepted the reasoning and arguments initiated by the former government of Mr. Aznar's Popular Party, with the consent of the PSOE, aimed at preventing solutions in the Basque Country and to put in place a situation of permanent confrontation.
Otegi recalled that the "Law on Political Parties" - which was created ad hoc in order to ban Batasuna (and later on other political organisations supported by or related to the Basque pro-independence left) - came into being under the cover of the antiterrorist offensive initiated by the Bush Government. That war against “terrorism” permitted clear violations and restrictions of fundamental rights.
It is surprising that the Spanish conservative PP, which still has not condemned the dictatorship of Franco, and the Spanish Labour Party, which organised acts of State terrorism while in government in the past, are the ones who are pleased about the judgement.
The pro-independence left reasserts before the European community that there is no other way of settling the Basque conflict apart from inclusive dialogue and political negotiation, in a situation of non-violence and goodwill, leading to an agreement that recognises the democratic right of Basque citizens to decide on their own future, just as the European citizens of Ireland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Flanders or other countries.
-Basque activists still at risk of extradition.
Last week a hearing on the case of Basque political refugee Inaki Etxeberria was held in Caracas, Venezuela. The prosecution was in favour of dropping the case. The solidarity campaign denounced pressures from the Spanish authorities to get Inaki extradited. He’s still in jail awaiting the court’s decision.
The judge in the case of Belfast-based Basque activist Arturo “Benat” Villanueva decided last Friday to set the 25th of September as the date for the hearing on the extradition case. The hearing of Belfast-based Basque activist Inaki de Juana will also be held in September.
-More arrests in France.
Three alleged ETA members were arrested in the southern French region of Bearn last Saturday. According to the French police they seized guns, money, false ID’s and material to build weapons dumps in their car.
The other two alleged ETA members arrested last week after a road accident they had are still in hospital. Their injuries are not life threatening. Despite their condition, one of them, 20-year-old woman Oihana Mardaras, was taken in for questioning. She told her solicitors afterwards that she had been ill-treated by the French police.
-European election votes still missing
As we previously reported, the left wing pro-self-determination right platform Internationalist Iniciative (II) was subjected to a brutal criminalization campaign by the Spanish media and authorities during the last European elections. The attacks didn’t stop there. During the day of the elections there were numerous abnormalities such as lack of II ballots in the poll stations. Many more irregularities arose in the following days.
For the past ten days II members and solicitors have been denouncing these abnormalities and a campaign has been launched to expose the truth about the results. In the three western Basque provinces 1,800 votes have been recovered in favour of the platform after new vote counts. These new results have raised more suspicion about what really happened in the entire Spanish state. In Barcelona for example, the II representatives weren’t allowed to be present at the new vote count and the same happened in many other places. The counts, by law, are supposed to be public and accountable.
Surprisingly, the blank and no valid votes increased by 300% when there were 1 million less voters than at previous European elections. If we add to that the lack of transparency and explanations from the Spanish authorities, the extrangely poor results in traditionally strong pro-independence places, the systematic destruction of the invalid votes...we can understand why the II candidate Doris Benegas said that this situation shows the lack of democratic protections and standards in the Spanish state.
- Basque activists still at risk of extradition.
- More arrests in France.
- European election votes still missing
NEWS :
-Strasbourg’s judgement supports political apartheid.
The European Court of Human Rights, based in Strasbourg, has made a judgement related to the Spanish "Law on Political Parties". In the judgement the Court supported the bannings of pro-independence political parties in the Basque Country.
In a press conference pro-independence spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi said that the judgement does not contribute in any way to the political settlement of the Basque conflict, but just the opposite. Otegi continued: “We believe that it is a clear step backwards for fundamental rights and freedoms in the European framework which can affect other progressive organisations in the future if they raise questions about the legal framework of the states in which they act.”
According to Otegi the Court has accepted the reasoning and arguments initiated by the former government of Mr. Aznar's Popular Party, with the consent of the PSOE, aimed at preventing solutions in the Basque Country and to put in place a situation of permanent confrontation.
Otegi recalled that the "Law on Political Parties" - which was created ad hoc in order to ban Batasuna (and later on other political organisations supported by or related to the Basque pro-independence left) - came into being under the cover of the antiterrorist offensive initiated by the Bush Government. That war against “terrorism” permitted clear violations and restrictions of fundamental rights.
It is surprising that the Spanish conservative PP, which still has not condemned the dictatorship of Franco, and the Spanish Labour Party, which organised acts of State terrorism while in government in the past, are the ones who are pleased about the judgement.
The pro-independence left reasserts before the European community that there is no other way of settling the Basque conflict apart from inclusive dialogue and political negotiation, in a situation of non-violence and goodwill, leading to an agreement that recognises the democratic right of Basque citizens to decide on their own future, just as the European citizens of Ireland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Flanders or other countries.
-Basque activists still at risk of extradition.
Last week a hearing on the case of Basque political refugee Inaki Etxeberria was held in Caracas, Venezuela. The prosecution was in favour of dropping the case. The solidarity campaign denounced pressures from the Spanish authorities to get Inaki extradited. He’s still in jail awaiting the court’s decision.
The judge in the case of Belfast-based Basque activist Arturo “Benat” Villanueva decided last Friday to set the 25th of September as the date for the hearing on the extradition case. The hearing of Belfast-based Basque activist Inaki de Juana will also be held in September.
-More arrests in France.
Three alleged ETA members were arrested in the southern French region of Bearn last Saturday. According to the French police they seized guns, money, false ID’s and material to build weapons dumps in their car.
The other two alleged ETA members arrested last week after a road accident they had are still in hospital. Their injuries are not life threatening. Despite their condition, one of them, 20-year-old woman Oihana Mardaras, was taken in for questioning. She told her solicitors afterwards that she had been ill-treated by the French police.
-European election votes still missing
As we previously reported, the left wing pro-self-determination right platform Internationalist Iniciative (II) was subjected to a brutal criminalization campaign by the Spanish media and authorities during the last European elections. The attacks didn’t stop there. During the day of the elections there were numerous abnormalities such as lack of II ballots in the poll stations. Many more irregularities arose in the following days.
For the past ten days II members and solicitors have been denouncing these abnormalities and a campaign has been launched to expose the truth about the results. In the three western Basque provinces 1,800 votes have been recovered in favour of the platform after new vote counts. These new results have raised more suspicion about what really happened in the entire Spanish state. In Barcelona for example, the II representatives weren’t allowed to be present at the new vote count and the same happened in many other places. The counts, by law, are supposed to be public and accountable.
Surprisingly, the blank and no valid votes increased by 300% when there were 1 million less voters than at previous European elections. If we add to that the lack of transparency and explanations from the Spanish authorities, the extrangely poor results in traditionally strong pro-independence places, the systematic destruction of the invalid votes...we can understand why the II candidate Doris Benegas said that this situation shows the lack of democratic protections and standards in the Spanish state.
June 2006
- Great results for the pro-independence left in the European elections.
- Thousands against dirty war.
NEWS :
-Great results for the pro-independence left in the European elections.
Despite the criminalization campaign and the initial banning, the Basque pro-independence left supported electoral platform, Internationalist Initiative received 13.5% of the vote (10% in 2004 for the banned Herritarren Zerrenda/The People’s List). In the north, the pro-independence left organised under the Euskal Herriaren Alde (In Favour of the Basque Country) name and achieved a great success with 6% of the vote. Other left pro-independence parties in the north supported Europe Ecologie lead by the French ecologist farmer José Bové and received 15% of the vote.
On Sunday there were numerous complaints about Internationalist Initiative ballots being missing in many polling stations. Others arrived after 5pm. In the early hours of Monday dozens of reports from across the Spanish state emerged with very suspicious news. Thousands of votes for Internationalist Initiative were missing or allocated to other parties. In the Basque Country votes disappeared in 24 towns. In the Catalan Countries the blank and no valid vote’s numbers increased dramatically, in some cases by three to six times. As more and more reports and allegations emerge, there are serious concerns of a historical fraude.
-Thousands against dirty war.
4,000 people rallied in Donostia/San Sebastian last Saturday to ask “Where is Jon?”. Anger and frustration were the feelings among the thousands of people who attended the demonstration to denounce the disappeareance of former Basque political prisoner refugee Jon Anza two months ago.
Speakers at the end of the rally pointed at the Spanish and French governments responsabilities behind the disappearance. They remembered those who were tortured and killed by the Spanish dirty war during the 80’s and 90’s.
150 people gathered on Sunday to remember the 29th anniversary of the disappearance of another Basque militant, Naparra, whose body was never found and expressed their anger and sadness at Jon Anza’s disappearance.
After the election results were released on Sunday night, Basque pro-independence left spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi congratulated the movement for the results obtained and said that there can’t be a solution to the conflict without the pro-independence left. He went on to say that the great result will be used to create movement towards a scenario of democracy in the Basque Country and to get the European bodies and mediators involved in a new process of negotiation and dialogue.
- Thousands against dirty war.
NEWS :
-Great results for the pro-independence left in the European elections.
Despite the criminalization campaign and the initial banning, the Basque pro-independence left supported electoral platform, Internationalist Initiative received 13.5% of the vote (10% in 2004 for the banned Herritarren Zerrenda/The People’s List). In the north, the pro-independence left organised under the Euskal Herriaren Alde (In Favour of the Basque Country) name and achieved a great success with 6% of the vote. Other left pro-independence parties in the north supported Europe Ecologie lead by the French ecologist farmer José Bové and received 15% of the vote.
On Sunday there were numerous complaints about Internationalist Initiative ballots being missing in many polling stations. Others arrived after 5pm. In the early hours of Monday dozens of reports from across the Spanish state emerged with very suspicious news. Thousands of votes for Internationalist Initiative were missing or allocated to other parties. In the Basque Country votes disappeared in 24 towns. In the Catalan Countries the blank and no valid vote’s numbers increased dramatically, in some cases by three to six times. As more and more reports and allegations emerge, there are serious concerns of a historical fraude.
-Thousands against dirty war.
4,000 people rallied in Donostia/San Sebastian last Saturday to ask “Where is Jon?”. Anger and frustration were the feelings among the thousands of people who attended the demonstration to denounce the disappeareance of former Basque political prisoner refugee Jon Anza two months ago.
Speakers at the end of the rally pointed at the Spanish and French governments responsabilities behind the disappearance. They remembered those who were tortured and killed by the Spanish dirty war during the 80’s and 90’s.
150 people gathered on Sunday to remember the 29th anniversary of the disappearance of another Basque militant, Naparra, whose body was never found and expressed their anger and sadness at Jon Anza’s disappearance.
After the election results were released on Sunday night, Basque pro-independence left spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi congratulated the movement for the results obtained and said that there can’t be a solution to the conflict without the pro-independence left. He went on to say that the great result will be used to create movement towards a scenario of democracy in the Basque Country and to get the European bodies and mediators involved in a new process of negotiation and dialogue.
17 June 2009
Two Seminars in London organised by LBSC
The Basque Country and Northern Ireland:
Self-Determination, Proscription and Human Rights in the EU
Seminar 1
The Right to Self Determination and Conflict Resolution in the EU
Thursday 25 June, 6.30-8.30pm
Room SGO1, College of Law, 14 Store Street WC1 (Goodge St.station)
Speakers:
Bill Bowring (Professor or Law, Birkbeck College )
Urko Aiartza (Attorney and a member of Eskubideak, the Basque Lawyers Association)
Séanna Walsh (Head of Cultural Department, Sinn Fein)
Seminar 2
Proscription and Human Rights in the EU
Thursday 9 July, 6.30-8.30pm
Birkbeck College, Clore Building, Torrington Square, WC1 (Russell Square station)
Ben Hayes (Associate Director, Statewatch)
Julen Arzuaga (Behatokia Human Rights Observatory, Basque Country)
Alex Fitch (Peace in Kurdistan Campaign & CAMPACC)
The Basque Country (Euskal Herria) is located on both sides of the border between Spain and France. The majority of the 3 million Basques live within the Spanish state. The Basque people have waged a centuries-long struggle for self-determination from Spanish rule. On 15 February 1990, by an absolute majority of 38 votes, the Basque Parliament proclaimed the right of the Basque People to self-determination, including the lawful authority of its citizens to take decisions, freely and democratically.
Some years later, the Good Friday Agreement of 10 April 1998, overwhelmingly endorsed by the people of Ireland, North and South, in referenda, enshrined the right to self-determination of the people of Ireland alone. Recognition of this right by the UK government had been a key demand of Sinn Fein. The UK Government never banned or proscribed Sinn Fein, and the Agreement was the result of negotiations with its leaders.
This is a progressive trend, repeated throughout the EU – but not in Spain.
Batasuna, the Basque pro-independence political party, was outlawed in 2003. The most recent elections, held on 1 March 2009, were far from free or democratic. Some 20% of the Basque electorate were disenfranchised when the Supreme Court banned two more parties, Democracy 3 Million and Askatasuna (Freedom), from standing candidates. On March 23 2009, the Spanish investigating judge Baltasar Garzon, who is waging a crusade against Basque nationalism, filed “terrorism”' charges against 44 pro-independence activists. The activists are alleged to be members of banned parties, including Batasuna, the Communist Party of the Basque Lands (PCTV) and Basque Nationalist Action (ANV). Among those charged is the Mayor of the famous town of Mondragon in Gipuzkoa province, Maria Inocencia Galparsoro.
Martin Scheinin, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, said in his Report of 16 December 2008 that he was “troubled” by Spain’s Law of Political Parties, which provides the legislative basis to ban political organisations. He said it defined “terrorism” so vaguely that it “might be interpreted to include any political party which through peaceful political means seeks similar political objectives” as those pursued by armed organisations.
These two seminars will explore the issues of self-determination, proscription and violations of human rights, especially the right to democratic elections, throughout the EU including Kurdistan, with a special comparative focus on the Northern Irish and Basque experiences.
Entrance is free! All welcome!
Further information: www.campacc.org.uk estella24@tiscali.co.uk
Tel 020 7586 5892 www.haldane.org / www.statewatch.org
Basque Solidarity Campaign askida.net@googlemail.com
CAMPACC, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, Statewatch, Basque Solidarity Campaign
Self-Determination, Proscription and Human Rights in the EU
Seminar 1
The Right to Self Determination and Conflict Resolution in the EU
Thursday 25 June, 6.30-8.30pm
Room SGO1, College of Law, 14 Store Street WC1 (Goodge St.station)
Speakers:
Bill Bowring (Professor or Law, Birkbeck College )
Urko Aiartza (Attorney and a member of Eskubideak, the Basque Lawyers Association)
Séanna Walsh (Head of Cultural Department, Sinn Fein)
Seminar 2
Proscription and Human Rights in the EU
Thursday 9 July, 6.30-8.30pm
Birkbeck College, Clore Building, Torrington Square, WC1 (Russell Square station)
Ben Hayes (Associate Director, Statewatch)
Julen Arzuaga (Behatokia Human Rights Observatory, Basque Country)
Alex Fitch (Peace in Kurdistan Campaign & CAMPACC)
The Basque Country (Euskal Herria) is located on both sides of the border between Spain and France. The majority of the 3 million Basques live within the Spanish state. The Basque people have waged a centuries-long struggle for self-determination from Spanish rule. On 15 February 1990, by an absolute majority of 38 votes, the Basque Parliament proclaimed the right of the Basque People to self-determination, including the lawful authority of its citizens to take decisions, freely and democratically.
Some years later, the Good Friday Agreement of 10 April 1998, overwhelmingly endorsed by the people of Ireland, North and South, in referenda, enshrined the right to self-determination of the people of Ireland alone. Recognition of this right by the UK government had been a key demand of Sinn Fein. The UK Government never banned or proscribed Sinn Fein, and the Agreement was the result of negotiations with its leaders.
This is a progressive trend, repeated throughout the EU – but not in Spain.
Batasuna, the Basque pro-independence political party, was outlawed in 2003. The most recent elections, held on 1 March 2009, were far from free or democratic. Some 20% of the Basque electorate were disenfranchised when the Supreme Court banned two more parties, Democracy 3 Million and Askatasuna (Freedom), from standing candidates. On March 23 2009, the Spanish investigating judge Baltasar Garzon, who is waging a crusade against Basque nationalism, filed “terrorism”' charges against 44 pro-independence activists. The activists are alleged to be members of banned parties, including Batasuna, the Communist Party of the Basque Lands (PCTV) and Basque Nationalist Action (ANV). Among those charged is the Mayor of the famous town of Mondragon in Gipuzkoa province, Maria Inocencia Galparsoro.
Martin Scheinin, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, said in his Report of 16 December 2008 that he was “troubled” by Spain’s Law of Political Parties, which provides the legislative basis to ban political organisations. He said it defined “terrorism” so vaguely that it “might be interpreted to include any political party which through peaceful political means seeks similar political objectives” as those pursued by armed organisations.
These two seminars will explore the issues of self-determination, proscription and violations of human rights, especially the right to democratic elections, throughout the EU including Kurdistan, with a special comparative focus on the Northern Irish and Basque experiences.
Entrance is free! All welcome!
Further information: www.campacc.org.uk estella24@tiscali.co.uk
Tel 020 7586 5892 www.haldane.org / www.statewatch.org
Basque Solidarity Campaign askida.net@googlemail.com
CAMPACC, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, Statewatch, Basque Solidarity Campaign
4 June 2009
Iniciativa Internacionalista and the Cynisism of Spanish Judges
We have been experiencing the proscription of all pro-independence political parties and many years of repressive policies agaisnt social movements in the Basque Country for a long time. After all these years, a new initiative, Internationalist Initiatiative, has been allowed to take part in this European Elections by the Constitutional Tribunal. Basque newspaper Gara provides some interesting views about the cynicism of the behaviour of the Spanish Judiciary.
2009/05/23
Cynicism as a legal doctrine
The positive consequences from a democratic point of view that comes from the new ruling by the Spanish Constitutional Tribunal - the possibility that Internationalist Initiative (II-SP) can be presented to the European Parliament elections and those who support their ideology and/or programme can legally vote for that option - can not disguise the cynicism that characterised this decision. The defence of "political pluralism" and the discourse of legitimacy of an abstract pro-independentist left coming from a the very same judges that have endorsed the banning of hundreds of candidates with “laughable” evidence and based on fascist concepts such as the “contamination of candidates”, are either an act of deep judicial revocation or a little trick to save the credibility of the Spanish legal system in front of international bodies.
Despite guaranteeing rhetoric of this ruling, there is no indication that a structural change of this dimension has taken place. Also, the threatening tone that the Spanish Executive maintained yesterday, which should first explain its position and then accept the political consequences of the political pressure that it has enforce on the courts, does not show any signs of remorse, far from it.
The Political Parties Act violates from the onset one of the pillars of law, that is, not to produce ad hoc legislation or to create laws that apply solely to a particular group or a single manifestation of a phenomenon and by definition not applicable to others. The verdict, paradoxically, shows how this law is aimed only at outlawing the Basque pro-independence left movement as a tradition and political expression. And there can be found a political miscalculation, even anthropological one could say, of their promoters. It was designed with the perspective that the outlawing of Batasuna would be the final push into hiding for the Basque pro-independence left . But this idea just shows a profound ignorance of the Basque situation. From this ignorance, the Spanish courts have had to enforce their own doctrine. A doctrine based on political cynicism, not the law.
3 June 2009
may 2009
- Extensive interview with ETA.
- Dirty war behind Jon Anza’s disappearence.
- Successful general strike.
- Internationalist Iniciative will stand in elections.
- Spanish Supreme Court rules against newspaper's closure.
NEWS :
Click here to watch the more serious program: THE SPANISH INQUISTION
-Extensive interview with ETA.
During an interview published by the Basque newspaper Gara on Monday ETA says that “our weapons will be laid down when all political projects will have the opportunity to become reality, including independence.”
According to ETA, the Spanish and French states attack the Basque pro-independence movement in order to stop the engine for political change and sovereignty.
ETA says that a new negotiation process depends on the will of the states to respect equal opportunities and civil and political rights in the Basque Country. Before sitting at the negotiation table ETA believes that all those who are in favour of the Basque Country’s democratic rights should reach a basic agreement.
ETA calls once again upon these forces to come together and put in practice an efficient strategy to achieve a democratic scenario. ETA goes on to state that the current standstill situation can only be overcome in this way.
-Dirty war behind Jon Anza’s disappearence.
500 people gathered on Saturday in Biarritz demanding that the French Defence Minister disclose the whereabouts of the Basque militant Jon Anza’s. He went missing on the 18th of April and two weeks later ETA claimed the Spanish and French secret services were responsible for his disappearance. The protesters were attacked with gas and batons by the police.
On Friday hundreds of people asked “Where is Jon?” at the 70 vigils for Basque political prisoners that take place around the country every week.
Last January a Basque political refugee was kidnapped and threatened by a group comprised of French and Spanish individuals just to be released a few hours later.
The former Basque political prisoner stated at a press conference last week that several individuals kidnapped him on May 19th in Bilbo. After threatening his life, they asked him to become an informer. Next day he noticed he was under surveillance by the same people. Last Wednesday these individuals approached him and identified themselves as Basque-Spanish police. They threatened him again and then violently assaulted him, as a result of which he required hospital medical attention.
Another protest was held in Irunea/Pamplona last week to denounce several “dirty war” attacks that happened recently in the province of Navarre. Death threats on walls, paint and petrol bomb attacks against independence movement bars ...The latest one happened on Tuesday when the car belonging to the spokesperson of several campaigns against repression in the province, was broken into and destroyed.
Basque political refugee and former prisoner Jon Anza remains missing since the 18th of April. In a statement released last week ETA claims Jon Anza is a member of the armed organization and accuses the Spanish and French police of being involved in his disappearance. ETA says he was on his way to a meeting with other militants but he never arrived. According to ETA the police knew he was an ETA member after they discovered his finger prints on some computers seized in January.
Last Saturday 1,300 people took to the streets in the northern town of Baiona/Bayonne to protest against Jon’s kidnapping and asking for his release.
- Successful general strike.
Despite the bosses and governments’ threats, police repression and media boycott thousands upon thousands of workers took part in the general strike in the southern Basque Country last Thursday. The general strike had been called by the mayority of Basque trade unions. These trade unions are working-class minded, against social partnership and for self-determination.
Large demonstrations were held in the main cities at mid-day and in dozens of towns across the country in the evening. The day’s main slogans were in favour of a fair social and economic model and against the bosses blackmailing. According to the trade unions the capitalist crisis should be paid by those who created it and not by the workers, unemployed, pensioners, women, students, inmigrants...
The general strike was branded as a success by the trade unions and as a first step in a series of fights for different economy policies.
- Internationalist Iniciative will stand in elections.
Despite the Spanish government’s bids to ban the left wing electoral platform Internationalist Initiative late on Thursday night the Constitutional Court ruled against the previous Supreme Court decission and allowed them to take part in the next European elections.
The latter decission came as a surprise move although many pointed out at the lack of evidence against the platform and the possibility the first decission being rejected by the European Court.
The pro-independence left called upon those who want a democratic resolution to the Basque conflict and a socialist Europe to vote for Internationalist Initiative-The solidarity of the peoples.
- Spanish Supreme Court rules against newspaper's closure.
In July 1998 the Spanish authorities closed down the Basque pro-independence newspaper Egin and radio station Egin Irratia. Last week the Spanish Supreme Court accepted the appeal in favour of the defence when it declared the closures were in breach of the law. It was also the case not just of the mentioned media, but also of other several companies.
On the same judgement the Supreme Court halved the sentences against 38 Basque pro-independence political activists who were tried on the 18/98 case. They will still have to spend an average of 10 years in jail for their peaceful and public political and cultural work.
Many political activists judged in several political trials held a press conference last week to denounce the attacks against the civil and political rights in the Basque Country and to ask for the construction of an effective people’s wall to stop them.
- Dirty war behind Jon Anza’s disappearence.
- Successful general strike.
- Internationalist Iniciative will stand in elections.
- Spanish Supreme Court rules against newspaper's closure.
NEWS :
"THE SPANISH INQUISITION"
Click here to watch the more serious program: THE SPANISH INQUISTION
-Extensive interview with ETA.
During an interview published by the Basque newspaper Gara on Monday ETA says that “our weapons will be laid down when all political projects will have the opportunity to become reality, including independence.”
According to ETA, the Spanish and French states attack the Basque pro-independence movement in order to stop the engine for political change and sovereignty.
ETA says that a new negotiation process depends on the will of the states to respect equal opportunities and civil and political rights in the Basque Country. Before sitting at the negotiation table ETA believes that all those who are in favour of the Basque Country’s democratic rights should reach a basic agreement.
ETA calls once again upon these forces to come together and put in practice an efficient strategy to achieve a democratic scenario. ETA goes on to state that the current standstill situation can only be overcome in this way.
-Dirty war behind Jon Anza’s disappearence.
500 people gathered on Saturday in Biarritz demanding that the French Defence Minister disclose the whereabouts of the Basque militant Jon Anza’s. He went missing on the 18th of April and two weeks later ETA claimed the Spanish and French secret services were responsible for his disappearance. The protesters were attacked with gas and batons by the police.
On Friday hundreds of people asked “Where is Jon?” at the 70 vigils for Basque political prisoners that take place around the country every week.
Last January a Basque political refugee was kidnapped and threatened by a group comprised of French and Spanish individuals just to be released a few hours later.
The former Basque political prisoner stated at a press conference last week that several individuals kidnapped him on May 19th in Bilbo. After threatening his life, they asked him to become an informer. Next day he noticed he was under surveillance by the same people. Last Wednesday these individuals approached him and identified themselves as Basque-Spanish police. They threatened him again and then violently assaulted him, as a result of which he required hospital medical attention.
Another protest was held in Irunea/Pamplona last week to denounce several “dirty war” attacks that happened recently in the province of Navarre. Death threats on walls, paint and petrol bomb attacks against independence movement bars ...The latest one happened on Tuesday when the car belonging to the spokesperson of several campaigns against repression in the province, was broken into and destroyed.
Basque political refugee and former prisoner Jon Anza remains missing since the 18th of April. In a statement released last week ETA claims Jon Anza is a member of the armed organization and accuses the Spanish and French police of being involved in his disappearance. ETA says he was on his way to a meeting with other militants but he never arrived. According to ETA the police knew he was an ETA member after they discovered his finger prints on some computers seized in January.
Last Saturday 1,300 people took to the streets in the northern town of Baiona/Bayonne to protest against Jon’s kidnapping and asking for his release.
- Successful general strike.
Despite the bosses and governments’ threats, police repression and media boycott thousands upon thousands of workers took part in the general strike in the southern Basque Country last Thursday. The general strike had been called by the mayority of Basque trade unions. These trade unions are working-class minded, against social partnership and for self-determination.
Large demonstrations were held in the main cities at mid-day and in dozens of towns across the country in the evening. The day’s main slogans were in favour of a fair social and economic model and against the bosses blackmailing. According to the trade unions the capitalist crisis should be paid by those who created it and not by the workers, unemployed, pensioners, women, students, inmigrants...
The general strike was branded as a success by the trade unions and as a first step in a series of fights for different economy policies.
- Internationalist Iniciative will stand in elections.
Despite the Spanish government’s bids to ban the left wing electoral platform Internationalist Initiative late on Thursday night the Constitutional Court ruled against the previous Supreme Court decission and allowed them to take part in the next European elections.
The latter decission came as a surprise move although many pointed out at the lack of evidence against the platform and the possibility the first decission being rejected by the European Court.
The pro-independence left called upon those who want a democratic resolution to the Basque conflict and a socialist Europe to vote for Internationalist Initiative-The solidarity of the peoples.
- Spanish Supreme Court rules against newspaper's closure.
In July 1998 the Spanish authorities closed down the Basque pro-independence newspaper Egin and radio station Egin Irratia. Last week the Spanish Supreme Court accepted the appeal in favour of the defence when it declared the closures were in breach of the law. It was also the case not just of the mentioned media, but also of other several companies.
On the same judgement the Supreme Court halved the sentences against 38 Basque pro-independence political activists who were tried on the 18/98 case. They will still have to spend an average of 10 years in jail for their peaceful and public political and cultural work.
Many political activists judged in several political trials held a press conference last week to denounce the attacks against the civil and political rights in the Basque Country and to ask for the construction of an effective people’s wall to stop them.
21 March 2009
News March 2009
- The political apartheid imposes a pro-Spanish parliament and excludes 100,000 voters.
- Our Response to the Guardian
- Group Against Torture highlights that Spain continues to torture.
- Solidarity with the Basque Country spreads around the world.
- Belfast Judge decides to start proceedings for extradition case against Inaki de Juana.
NEWS :
-The political apartheid imposes a pro-Spanish parliament and excludes 100,000 voters.
Last Sunday elections took place in the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba to elect a new local parliament. The pro independence platform Demokrazia 3 Miloi/Democracy 3 Million being banned from standing in elections saw the equivalent of a South African Apartheid in the Basque Country.
Despite this 100,000 people voted with the "illegal" ballots. Many people went to poll stations with their mouth covered with Spanish flags as a protest gesture. These results are some incredible results, probably one of the biggest civil disobedience actions in Europe in recent years and a clear result of resistance which will make others think of the failure of the repression strategies.
All in all the pro-self determination votes are still a clear majority in the three provinces (600,000 against 400,000 pro-Spanish votes). The paradox is that now the Basque Nationalist Party/PNV are claiming that the pro-independence platforms being banned played in favour of the pro-Spanish parties when that was always said by the pro-independence movement. They accused the PNV of doing nothing against it. Furthermore they were happily collaborating implementing the Parties' Law. Their political police, Ertzaintza, attacked events and arrested activists during the campaign and their media, EITB, ignored and censored the pro-independence candidates.
Now they'll have to confront the reality which is that they have a non democratic three provinces Spanish parliament and what it'll be harder for them, they'll loose power.
These fraudulent elections saw many contradictions. The PNV /Basque Nationalist Party who has been in government for the last 30 years won the election and got 30 seats out of the 75 that conform the local parliament. However, it's about to loose the government to the Spanish parties. The Spanish Socialist Party who made serious gains took 24 seats but the Spanish right wing PP lost votes managing to get 13 seats. The most probable option is a coalition government made up of PSE (Partido Socialista de Euskadi, the local branch of the social democrats in power in Madrid), and PP (Partido Popular).
Reactions :
The pro independence representatives have denounced that the new parliament will be anti democratic and illegitimate because the rules have been bent to suit Spanish unionism.
They have also accused the Spanish Labour Party of completing the cycle of banning started by the right wing Popular Party, and have denounced the political apartheid and continuous persecution of pro independence Basques. But despite the banning with such a successful result the pro independence movement has said to be ready to open a new political offensive which will lead to a democratic change.
The Basque Nationalist Party, seemed to concentrate on the fact that they received the biggest amount of votes of all the parties but did not want to talk about the fact that they may be loosing their historical position in government.
Talks to form new government show no support for nationalist prime minister.
For the first time since the creation of local autonomy 30 years ago the elections held ten days ago in the western Basque Country left the Basque Nationalist Party without enough seats to form a government. The local branch of the Spanish Labour Party came second and has already received the support of the pro-Spanish right wing Popular Party in order to conform a new unionist government. Talks have been held for the last 7 days among the elected parties and they will continue during coming months until a clear majority is achieved to elect a new lehendakari or Prime Minister.
Meanwhile the pro-independence movement which fought the elections under the most undemocratic conditions ever (candidates banned and imprisoned, offices closed down, police attacks on propaganda distribution and events, dozens of arrests, media censorship...) said the 101,000 votes they got will be used to open a new political offensive for a peaceful and democratic scenario. The pro-independence movement went on to say that this western Basque parliament is not legitimate as it doesn’t represent the democratic will of the people. Despite all of this the election results proved that a majority of 640,000 people still voted for pro-self determination parties and 482,000 for unionist parties.
- Our Response to the Guardian.
Giles Tremlett, foreign correspondent for the Guardian in Madrid wrote an article about the elections.
This article offered a distorted view biased towards the interests of Spanish Unionism . We send a response to The Guardian that was not published.
-Group Against Torture highlights that Spain continues to torture.
Sixty two complaints were recorded by the Group Against Torture in 2008. According to the group, despite new measures taken to prevent torture, despite, international organisations condemning Madrid’s actions, the Spanish states continues to torture. Throughout the years 7,000 Basques have been tortured by the Spanish police and according to the Group Against Torture it does not seem that they’ll be any changes.
Last month 20 young people from the province of Gipuzkoa have accused the Spanish Judge Grande Marlaska of using torture. The Basque activists appeared in front of Judge Grande Marlaska. They are all accused of being members of Segi, the Basque youth pro-independence movement. The Judge has now decided that they’ll all be tried for being members of an armed organisation. These 20 young people appeared in court following arrests made last year. Some other young people were arrested in 2008 and were heavily tortured. Taking advantage of torture another 20 people were arrested and will now be tried with complete impunity.
Another three people were arrested last week by the Basque-Spanish police Ertzaintza accused of being members of ETA. They tried to arrest another three young people without success. After being held incommunicado for 5 days Manex Castro, the first one to be arrested, denounced the hell he went through: beatings, deprivation of sleep and food, constant threats of every kind: sexual, against his mother and friends, about being handed over to the feared Spanish police Guardia Civil...
Protests and press conferences were held in the home towns of the detainees and a council meeting denounced the detentions and the treatment received by the detainees.
Another famous torture case against two alleged ETA members last year has seen a Spanish judge progressing measures to bring to trial 15 Spanish policemen last week. Igor Portu and Mattin Sarasola were seriously beaten, drawn into a river, suffocated with plastic bags and guns were discharged close beside them. Portu had to be taken to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
-Solidarity with the Basque Country spreads around the world.
From the 6th to the 15th of February fourteen countries around the world have seen different events organised within the 3rd International Week of Solidarity with the Basque Country. This year’s slogan was “The Basque Country doesn’t walk alone towards democracy and self-determination”. In Ireland talks were organised in Dublin, Derry and Belfast by the Irish Basque Solidarity Committees. On Saturday 14th solidarity protests were held in Cork, Dublin, Derry, Belfast, Omagh, Strabane, Newcastle and Lurgan. Some spectacular actions were organised in Glasgow where Celtic supporters displayed a massive banner reading the week’s slogan in the stadium during the match against Rangers. In Milan local Basque supporters occupied the Italian state owned TV station RAI’s offices to denounce the treatment they give to the Basque conflict related news.
In the Basque Country, a demonstration against the criminalization of those who develop internationalist work in the Basque Country was organised by Askapena last Saturday in Bilbao. Askapena is the pro-independence movement’s the internationalist organization and has been campaigning to gather solidarity to other liberation struggles around the world in the Basque Country for the last 20 years.
Nowadays Askapena is heavily involved in the boycott to Israel campaign and is taking part at the World’s Social Forum in Brazil. At the same time Askapena works in conjunction with the Basque solidarity committees around the world to raise awareness about the Basque struggle for independence and socialism.
All of that has been enough reason for the Spanish state to target Askapena through a criminalization campaign in the Spanish media.
-Belfast Judge decides to start proceedings for extradition case against Inaki de Juana.
Former Basque political prisoner and hunger-striker Inaki de Juana attended a hearing at the Belfast Courts yesterday. Members of the Belfast branch of the Irish Basque Solidarity Committees and supporters stood outside displaying a banner and flags.
After months of discussion on the matter Judge Burgess decided today that the alleged offence of “glorifying terrorism” claimed by the Spanish Special Court has its equivalent in British law. This decision means that Inaki de Juana could eventually be extradited to Spain. However the decision is not final yet as his defence team will appeal against it.
Belfast-based Basque pro-independence activist Inaki de Juana spent 22 years in prison completing not only his sentence to the full but also three extra years for writing a newspaper article where he criticised the prison system. Now, the Spanish authorities want him because of a letter allegedly written by him and read out at his welcoming-home event. The letter ended with a popular Basque saying which can be translated as “forward with the ball” and it’s been interpreted by Spanish judges as “keep on with the armed struggle”. Inaki never attended the welcoming party and denies writing the letter. Even the Spanish police say they don’t have such a letter.
Such a ridiculous case has to be understood in a context of harassment and brutal repression against Inaki, the Basque political prisoners and the pro-independence movement.
- Our Response to the Guardian
- Group Against Torture highlights that Spain continues to torture.
- Solidarity with the Basque Country spreads around the world.
- Belfast Judge decides to start proceedings for extradition case against Inaki de Juana.
NEWS :
-The political apartheid imposes a pro-Spanish parliament and excludes 100,000 voters.
Last Sunday elections took place in the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba to elect a new local parliament. The pro independence platform Demokrazia 3 Miloi/Democracy 3 Million being banned from standing in elections saw the equivalent of a South African Apartheid in the Basque Country.
Despite this 100,000 people voted with the "illegal" ballots. Many people went to poll stations with their mouth covered with Spanish flags as a protest gesture. These results are some incredible results, probably one of the biggest civil disobedience actions in Europe in recent years and a clear result of resistance which will make others think of the failure of the repression strategies.
All in all the pro-self determination votes are still a clear majority in the three provinces (600,000 against 400,000 pro-Spanish votes). The paradox is that now the Basque Nationalist Party/PNV are claiming that the pro-independence platforms being banned played in favour of the pro-Spanish parties when that was always said by the pro-independence movement. They accused the PNV of doing nothing against it. Furthermore they were happily collaborating implementing the Parties' Law. Their political police, Ertzaintza, attacked events and arrested activists during the campaign and their media, EITB, ignored and censored the pro-independence candidates.
Now they'll have to confront the reality which is that they have a non democratic three provinces Spanish parliament and what it'll be harder for them, they'll loose power.
These fraudulent elections saw many contradictions. The PNV /Basque Nationalist Party who has been in government for the last 30 years won the election and got 30 seats out of the 75 that conform the local parliament. However, it's about to loose the government to the Spanish parties. The Spanish Socialist Party who made serious gains took 24 seats but the Spanish right wing PP lost votes managing to get 13 seats. The most probable option is a coalition government made up of PSE (Partido Socialista de Euskadi, the local branch of the social democrats in power in Madrid), and PP (Partido Popular).
Reactions :
The pro independence representatives have denounced that the new parliament will be anti democratic and illegitimate because the rules have been bent to suit Spanish unionism.
They have also accused the Spanish Labour Party of completing the cycle of banning started by the right wing Popular Party, and have denounced the political apartheid and continuous persecution of pro independence Basques. But despite the banning with such a successful result the pro independence movement has said to be ready to open a new political offensive which will lead to a democratic change.
The Basque Nationalist Party, seemed to concentrate on the fact that they received the biggest amount of votes of all the parties but did not want to talk about the fact that they may be loosing their historical position in government.
Talks to form new government show no support for nationalist prime minister.
For the first time since the creation of local autonomy 30 years ago the elections held ten days ago in the western Basque Country left the Basque Nationalist Party without enough seats to form a government. The local branch of the Spanish Labour Party came second and has already received the support of the pro-Spanish right wing Popular Party in order to conform a new unionist government. Talks have been held for the last 7 days among the elected parties and they will continue during coming months until a clear majority is achieved to elect a new lehendakari or Prime Minister.
Meanwhile the pro-independence movement which fought the elections under the most undemocratic conditions ever (candidates banned and imprisoned, offices closed down, police attacks on propaganda distribution and events, dozens of arrests, media censorship...) said the 101,000 votes they got will be used to open a new political offensive for a peaceful and democratic scenario. The pro-independence movement went on to say that this western Basque parliament is not legitimate as it doesn’t represent the democratic will of the people. Despite all of this the election results proved that a majority of 640,000 people still voted for pro-self determination parties and 482,000 for unionist parties.
- Our Response to the Guardian.
Giles Tremlett, foreign correspondent for the Guardian in Madrid wrote an article about the elections.
This article offered a distorted view biased towards the interests of Spanish Unionism . We send a response to The Guardian that was not published.
I was concerned to read Giles Tremlett’s article “Spain's Basque country voters end nationalist grip on power” published in The Guardian(29/02/2009). The author has given a partial and inaccurate account ofthe political situation and the last elections in Basque Country.
Contrary to what Giles suggests, the winner of the elections was the Basque Nationalist Party and this is not the first time that Basque Nationalists fail to obtain the overall majority. In fact, most governments have been coalitions of one sort or another, including Basque and non-Basque nationalist parties.
However, there has been a more important factor in deciding the outcome of this election which has been largely ignored in Giles' account of the results. A significant proportion of the Basque people has been banned from voting freely and from any other form of political activity. We have arrived to this election with a huge democratic deficit. Many of our political representatives are in jail and there is a significant sector of the population suffering political persecution where, for example, the use of torture in police stations is not only used against suspects of terrorism. It is also used against civil liberties activists to deter political dissent.
The majority of analysts think that the process of forming a government coalition will be long and complex. Your foreign correspondent seems to have good insights and contacts in Madrid so he can probably foresee a coalition between the Popular Party and the Socialists. If he is right, this is not the end, but the consolidation of Madrid's nationalist grip on power. Power obtained against the will of the majority of the Basque People using dirty tricks.
-Group Against Torture highlights that Spain continues to torture.
Sixty two complaints were recorded by the Group Against Torture in 2008. According to the group, despite new measures taken to prevent torture, despite, international organisations condemning Madrid’s actions, the Spanish states continues to torture. Throughout the years 7,000 Basques have been tortured by the Spanish police and according to the Group Against Torture it does not seem that they’ll be any changes.
Last month 20 young people from the province of Gipuzkoa have accused the Spanish Judge Grande Marlaska of using torture. The Basque activists appeared in front of Judge Grande Marlaska. They are all accused of being members of Segi, the Basque youth pro-independence movement. The Judge has now decided that they’ll all be tried for being members of an armed organisation. These 20 young people appeared in court following arrests made last year. Some other young people were arrested in 2008 and were heavily tortured. Taking advantage of torture another 20 people were arrested and will now be tried with complete impunity.
Another three people were arrested last week by the Basque-Spanish police Ertzaintza accused of being members of ETA. They tried to arrest another three young people without success. After being held incommunicado for 5 days Manex Castro, the first one to be arrested, denounced the hell he went through: beatings, deprivation of sleep and food, constant threats of every kind: sexual, against his mother and friends, about being handed over to the feared Spanish police Guardia Civil...
Protests and press conferences were held in the home towns of the detainees and a council meeting denounced the detentions and the treatment received by the detainees.
Another famous torture case against two alleged ETA members last year has seen a Spanish judge progressing measures to bring to trial 15 Spanish policemen last week. Igor Portu and Mattin Sarasola were seriously beaten, drawn into a river, suffocated with plastic bags and guns were discharged close beside them. Portu had to be taken to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
-Solidarity with the Basque Country spreads around the world.
From the 6th to the 15th of February fourteen countries around the world have seen different events organised within the 3rd International Week of Solidarity with the Basque Country. This year’s slogan was “The Basque Country doesn’t walk alone towards democracy and self-determination”. In Ireland talks were organised in Dublin, Derry and Belfast by the Irish Basque Solidarity Committees. On Saturday 14th solidarity protests were held in Cork, Dublin, Derry, Belfast, Omagh, Strabane, Newcastle and Lurgan. Some spectacular actions were organised in Glasgow where Celtic supporters displayed a massive banner reading the week’s slogan in the stadium during the match against Rangers. In Milan local Basque supporters occupied the Italian state owned TV station RAI’s offices to denounce the treatment they give to the Basque conflict related news.
In the Basque Country, a demonstration against the criminalization of those who develop internationalist work in the Basque Country was organised by Askapena last Saturday in Bilbao. Askapena is the pro-independence movement’s the internationalist organization and has been campaigning to gather solidarity to other liberation struggles around the world in the Basque Country for the last 20 years.
Nowadays Askapena is heavily involved in the boycott to Israel campaign and is taking part at the World’s Social Forum in Brazil. At the same time Askapena works in conjunction with the Basque solidarity committees around the world to raise awareness about the Basque struggle for independence and socialism.
All of that has been enough reason for the Spanish state to target Askapena through a criminalization campaign in the Spanish media.
-Belfast Judge decides to start proceedings for extradition case against Inaki de Juana.
Former Basque political prisoner and hunger-striker Inaki de Juana attended a hearing at the Belfast Courts yesterday. Members of the Belfast branch of the Irish Basque Solidarity Committees and supporters stood outside displaying a banner and flags.
After months of discussion on the matter Judge Burgess decided today that the alleged offence of “glorifying terrorism” claimed by the Spanish Special Court has its equivalent in British law. This decision means that Inaki de Juana could eventually be extradited to Spain. However the decision is not final yet as his defence team will appeal against it.
Belfast-based Basque pro-independence activist Inaki de Juana spent 22 years in prison completing not only his sentence to the full but also three extra years for writing a newspaper article where he criticised the prison system. Now, the Spanish authorities want him because of a letter allegedly written by him and read out at his welcoming-home event. The letter ended with a popular Basque saying which can be translated as “forward with the ball” and it’s been interpreted by Spanish judges as “keep on with the armed struggle”. Inaki never attended the welcoming party and denies writing the letter. Even the Spanish police say they don’t have such a letter.
Such a ridiculous case has to be understood in a context of harassment and brutal repression against Inaki, the Basque political prisoners and the pro-independence movement.
15 February 2009
News February 2009
- International Solidarity Week of Solidarity with the Basque Country.
- UN blasts Spain's repression of Basque political parties.
- Spain defies UN and bans two more pro-independence parties
- ETA bombs Madrid’s financial district.
- Thousands support Democracy 3 Million platform.
NEWS :
-International Week of Solidarity with the Basque Country.
A public meeting in support of the International Week of Solidarity with Basque Country has held in London. The meeting started with the projection of the film The Spanish Inquisition, United Nations Association Media Peace Award ( 2006) winner by David O'Shea.
David O'Shea traveled to the Basque Country and studied the roots of the conflict. He listened to torture allegations and the UN damaging reports, questioning the democratic credentials of the Spanish State.
It followed by a debate introduced by Saleh Mamon. Saleh is a human rights activist supporting the work of CAMPACC (Campaign Against Criminalising Communities). He is also engaged in campaigning against the occupation of Iraq and Palestine.
-UN blasts Spain's repression of Basque political parties.
A United Nations official said last Thursday that Spain's Law of Political Parties violates fundamental freedoms in the name of countering terrorism. According to Martin Scheinin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the law criminalizes as "support of terrorism" conducts that do not relate to any kind of violent activity.
In a 26-page report based on a fact-finding mission to Spain last year, Scheinin finds that the Law of Political Parties might be interpreted to include any political party which through peaceful political means seeks similar political objectives to those pursued by the armed group ETA. The report reiterates that all limitations on the right to political participation must meet strict criteria in order to be compatible with international standards of freedom of speech.
The Special Rapporteur also calls upon the Spanish government to consider placing terrorism cases under the jurisdiction of ordinary district courts, instead of a single central specialized court, the Special National Court, with exclusive jurisdiction over so-called “terrorist crimes”. The report finds that judgements issued by the Special National Court are only subject to review by the Supreme Court.
The report also recommends the "complete eradication of the institution of incommunicado detention" and assurance of "prompt, independent, impartial and thorough investigations are conducted in any case where there is reason to believe ill-treatment may have occurred."
Download the report
-Spain defies UN and bans two more pro-independence parties
Just days after the UN report criticizing the practice, Spain's Supreme Court barred two more parties from running in the next regional elections on grounds of supposed links to ETA. Following a request by Spanish prosecutors and repeated calls from Spanish parties and media, the Supreme Court barred Askatasuna (Freedom) and Democracy 3 Million, both left-wing Basque nationalist parties. According to the ruling, the two parties are successors to Batasuna, which was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 2003. The election for the 75-seat Basque three western provinces’ parliament is set for 1st of March.
D3M’s lawyer expressed her anger at what she called lack of evidences and legal basis. She went on to say that police social control is scary. Candidates’ privates lifes have been tracked as far as 1983 in order to prove that they have some sort of link with the pro-independence movement. Despite such a thing is not an offence the judges take spurious and perfectly legal acts like writing a letter to a prisoner to criminalize the candidates.
-ETA bombs Madrid’s financial district.
A car bomb exploded yesterday in a business district of Madrid, following a telephone warning claiming to be from ETA, the Basque armed organization. No one was hurt in the blast, which destroyed about 30 cars and blew out windows at nearby offices, leaving a crater in the ground about one metre deep.
The Spanish Red Cross received the warning call 90 minutes prior to the blast, allowing police to cordon off the area before the device exploded at around 9am. The incident came a day after Spain's supreme court banned Demokrazia 3 Miloi and Askatasuna, two Basque nationalist parties, from participating in March's regional elections in the Basque Country, because of what the court said were their links to ETA.
The explosion occurred near the offices of Ferrovial, a construction company which has been involved in a high-speed rail project linking the capital to the Basque Country.
In December, ETA warned contractors working on the project they would become targets if they continued to work on the train line.
The controversial High Speed Train project has been confronted by a wide alliance of left wing parties, trade unions and environmentalists for many years now. They say this train will destroy the Basque Country and compromise seriously its future. They demand a public and open democratic debate around it so the Basque people can decide whether is needed or not. The pro-Spanish and local elite reaffirmed their intentions to impose the High Speed Train at any price.
-Thousands support Democracy 3 Million platform.
Thousands of people filled the Kursaal conference hall in Donostia/San Sebastian last Saturday during the first public event organised by the electoral platform Democracy 3 Million. The platform was launched less than a month ago and in just two weeks collected 47,000 legal signatures in order to be able to stand in the 1st of March local elections.
On the 23rd of January 8 of the D3M members were arrested by Spanish police and sent to prison. They were accused of trying to organise the platform and trying to take part in the elections. Today another 13 people have been officially called by Spanish judge Garzon to appear in court this coming Friday accused of terrorist organization membership. Their alleged crime is to be the legal representatives of the electoral platform.
Speaking at last Saturday’s event election candidate Itziar Lopategi said they want to achieve a democratic scenario where all citizens' rights will be respected and all different political options will have place.
The most emotional moments of the evening were when the pictures of those arrested and later those of the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians where shown on the screen.
- UN blasts Spain's repression of Basque political parties.
- Spain defies UN and bans two more pro-independence parties
- ETA bombs Madrid’s financial district.
- Thousands support Democracy 3 Million platform.
NEWS :
-International Week of Solidarity with the Basque Country.
A public meeting in support of the International Week of Solidarity with Basque Country has held in London. The meeting started with the projection of the film The Spanish Inquisition, United Nations Association Media Peace Award ( 2006) winner by David O'Shea.
David O'Shea traveled to the Basque Country and studied the roots of the conflict. He listened to torture allegations and the UN damaging reports, questioning the democratic credentials of the Spanish State.
It followed by a debate introduced by Saleh Mamon. Saleh is a human rights activist supporting the work of CAMPACC (Campaign Against Criminalising Communities). He is also engaged in campaigning against the occupation of Iraq and Palestine.
-UN blasts Spain's repression of Basque political parties.
A United Nations official said last Thursday that Spain's Law of Political Parties violates fundamental freedoms in the name of countering terrorism. According to Martin Scheinin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the law criminalizes as "support of terrorism" conducts that do not relate to any kind of violent activity.
In a 26-page report based on a fact-finding mission to Spain last year, Scheinin finds that the Law of Political Parties might be interpreted to include any political party which through peaceful political means seeks similar political objectives to those pursued by the armed group ETA. The report reiterates that all limitations on the right to political participation must meet strict criteria in order to be compatible with international standards of freedom of speech.
The Special Rapporteur also calls upon the Spanish government to consider placing terrorism cases under the jurisdiction of ordinary district courts, instead of a single central specialized court, the Special National Court, with exclusive jurisdiction over so-called “terrorist crimes”. The report finds that judgements issued by the Special National Court are only subject to review by the Supreme Court.
The report also recommends the "complete eradication of the institution of incommunicado detention" and assurance of "prompt, independent, impartial and thorough investigations are conducted in any case where there is reason to believe ill-treatment may have occurred."
Download the report
-Spain defies UN and bans two more pro-independence parties
Just days after the UN report criticizing the practice, Spain's Supreme Court barred two more parties from running in the next regional elections on grounds of supposed links to ETA. Following a request by Spanish prosecutors and repeated calls from Spanish parties and media, the Supreme Court barred Askatasuna (Freedom) and Democracy 3 Million, both left-wing Basque nationalist parties. According to the ruling, the two parties are successors to Batasuna, which was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 2003. The election for the 75-seat Basque three western provinces’ parliament is set for 1st of March.
D3M’s lawyer expressed her anger at what she called lack of evidences and legal basis. She went on to say that police social control is scary. Candidates’ privates lifes have been tracked as far as 1983 in order to prove that they have some sort of link with the pro-independence movement. Despite such a thing is not an offence the judges take spurious and perfectly legal acts like writing a letter to a prisoner to criminalize the candidates.
-ETA bombs Madrid’s financial district.
A car bomb exploded yesterday in a business district of Madrid, following a telephone warning claiming to be from ETA, the Basque armed organization. No one was hurt in the blast, which destroyed about 30 cars and blew out windows at nearby offices, leaving a crater in the ground about one metre deep.
The Spanish Red Cross received the warning call 90 minutes prior to the blast, allowing police to cordon off the area before the device exploded at around 9am. The incident came a day after Spain's supreme court banned Demokrazia 3 Miloi and Askatasuna, two Basque nationalist parties, from participating in March's regional elections in the Basque Country, because of what the court said were their links to ETA.
The explosion occurred near the offices of Ferrovial, a construction company which has been involved in a high-speed rail project linking the capital to the Basque Country.
In December, ETA warned contractors working on the project they would become targets if they continued to work on the train line.
The controversial High Speed Train project has been confronted by a wide alliance of left wing parties, trade unions and environmentalists for many years now. They say this train will destroy the Basque Country and compromise seriously its future. They demand a public and open democratic debate around it so the Basque people can decide whether is needed or not. The pro-Spanish and local elite reaffirmed their intentions to impose the High Speed Train at any price.
-Thousands support Democracy 3 Million platform.
Thousands of people filled the Kursaal conference hall in Donostia/San Sebastian last Saturday during the first public event organised by the electoral platform Democracy 3 Million. The platform was launched less than a month ago and in just two weeks collected 47,000 legal signatures in order to be able to stand in the 1st of March local elections.
On the 23rd of January 8 of the D3M members were arrested by Spanish police and sent to prison. They were accused of trying to organise the platform and trying to take part in the elections. Today another 13 people have been officially called by Spanish judge Garzon to appear in court this coming Friday accused of terrorist organization membership. Their alleged crime is to be the legal representatives of the electoral platform.
Speaking at last Saturday’s event election candidate Itziar Lopategi said they want to achieve a democratic scenario where all citizens' rights will be respected and all different political options will have place.
The most emotional moments of the evening were when the pictures of those arrested and later those of the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians where shown on the screen.
24 January 2009
January 2009
- International Solidarity with the Basque Country.
- New Spanish Attack against the Basque Country.
- Peace dialogue criminalised.
- Support for Basque political prisoners.
- Spanish-Basque police brutally attacks march against High Speed Train.
NEWS :
International Solidarity with the Basque Country.
ASKAPENA, Basque internationalist organisation, calls for action in the International Solidarity With the Basque Country Week which will take place from the 6th to the 15th February 2009.
New Spanish Attack against the Basque Country.
Nine well known pro-independence political activists have been arrested on the early hours of today in the four provinces of the southern Basque Country. The Spanish police searched the houses of another three but couldn't arrest them.
In October 2007, 23 members of the leadership of Batasuna, the banned pro-independence party, were arrested and currently still are in jail for their political work. Two weeks ago four of them along with spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi, Basque region prime minister Ibarretxe and two leader of the Spanish Labour Party local regional branch sat appeared in court accused of holding peace talks. Recently created Democracy 3 Million (D3M) platform is expected to be also banned and prevented from taking part in next local elections of 1st of March.
Today's arrests have to be understood within the context of a wider strategy of criminalization and repression against the pro-independence movement. These arrests are directed to stop the pro-independence movement's work to achieve a new scenario of peace, democracy and self-determination for the Basque Country.
Peace dialogue criminalized.
Last Thursday 8 Basque politicians sat at the Basque region’s Spanish High Tribunal to be tried for holding political peace talks in 2006. At that time ETA was observing a ceasefire after an agreement was reached with the Spanish government. 5 of the accused are members of the banned pro-independence party Batasuna, another one is the nationalist prime minister of the three western Basque provinces and the other two are the local leaders of the Spanish Labour Party.
Four of the Batasuna accused were brought from Spanish prisons where they have been kept since October 2007 after the entire leadership of the party was arrested by the Spanish police. The only one of them who remains free, Arnaldo Otegi, was released last August after serving a one year sentence. Otegi said this new trial has been set to criminalize political dialogue and that it shows the anti democratic character of the Spanish state. Alex Maskey from Sinn Féin, who was at court to show support to the Batasuna accused, said that this is a terrible mistake and that there are just two ways to follow: the Gaza’s one or the South Africa’s one.
The case, which has created huge controversy, has been the main news of the week not just in the Basque Country and Spain but even has attracted the attention of the international media.
Finally on Monday 12th the court ruled that the two groups taking the case did not constitute a legitimate prosecution and dropped the charges.
Support for Basque political prisoners.
Hundreds of people gathered throughout the week in over 100 towns across the Basque Country to demand proper and humane treatment of the 765 Basque political prisoners. Etxerat, the relatives association, congratulated the Basque people for their ongoing support and especially for the 37,000 strong demonstration on the 3rd of January.
Precisely due to this rally the Spanish Home Minister declared last week his intention of investigating it to see if it can considered an offence and consequently prosecute the organisers - the Basque political prisoners’ relatives association.
Basque former prisoner Xabier Irastorza was arrested by French police in the north of the Basque Country last Thursday and sent to prison due to a European arrest warrant issued by the Spanish Special Court. Basque political refugees Lorea Zeziaga and Alejo Moreno were arrested in the north by French police on Tuesday 13th. Meanwhile, Basque prisoner Jon Lizarribar started a hunger strike against being expelled from the French state and placed in the hands of the Spanish police after serving his sentence in French jails.
Basque political prisoner Jon Bilbao has entered his 27th year in prison becoming the longest prisoner serving in Europe. The number of prisoners who spend 10, 15 or more than 20 years in prison is on the increase. Meanwhile prisoner Jose Angel Biguri has seen his sentence extended last week. He has been in prison for 21 years. He was supposed to be released next year but the Spanish Special Court has extended his sentence till 2019.
Spanish-Basque police brutally attacks march against High Speed Train.
Thousands of people gathered in the small town of Urbina in the province of Araba last Saturday to see the damages that the construction of the tracks for the High Speed Train has already been doing. At the end of the march the Spanish-Basque police attacked the protesters and tens of demonstrators were injured. 8 people were also arrested and at first, accused of “terrorism”. Check points were placed before and after the march.
There is currently a huge campaign against the construction of the tracks for a High Speed Train which will link the French and Spanish states through the Basque Country. This train will jeopardise seriously the future of the Basque Country due to its negative social and economic impact.
- New Spanish Attack against the Basque Country.
- Peace dialogue criminalised.
- Support for Basque political prisoners.
- Spanish-Basque police brutally attacks march against High Speed Train.
NEWS :
International Solidarity with the Basque Country.
ASKAPENA, Basque internationalist organisation, calls for action in the International Solidarity With the Basque Country Week which will take place from the 6th to the 15th February 2009.
New Spanish Attack against the Basque Country.
Nine well known pro-independence political activists have been arrested on the early hours of today in the four provinces of the southern Basque Country. The Spanish police searched the houses of another three but couldn't arrest them.
In October 2007, 23 members of the leadership of Batasuna, the banned pro-independence party, were arrested and currently still are in jail for their political work. Two weeks ago four of them along with spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi, Basque region prime minister Ibarretxe and two leader of the Spanish Labour Party local regional branch sat appeared in court accused of holding peace talks. Recently created Democracy 3 Million (D3M) platform is expected to be also banned and prevented from taking part in next local elections of 1st of March.
Today's arrests have to be understood within the context of a wider strategy of criminalization and repression against the pro-independence movement. These arrests are directed to stop the pro-independence movement's work to achieve a new scenario of peace, democracy and self-determination for the Basque Country.
Peace dialogue criminalized.
Last Thursday 8 Basque politicians sat at the Basque region’s Spanish High Tribunal to be tried for holding political peace talks in 2006. At that time ETA was observing a ceasefire after an agreement was reached with the Spanish government. 5 of the accused are members of the banned pro-independence party Batasuna, another one is the nationalist prime minister of the three western Basque provinces and the other two are the local leaders of the Spanish Labour Party.
Four of the Batasuna accused were brought from Spanish prisons where they have been kept since October 2007 after the entire leadership of the party was arrested by the Spanish police. The only one of them who remains free, Arnaldo Otegi, was released last August after serving a one year sentence. Otegi said this new trial has been set to criminalize political dialogue and that it shows the anti democratic character of the Spanish state. Alex Maskey from Sinn Féin, who was at court to show support to the Batasuna accused, said that this is a terrible mistake and that there are just two ways to follow: the Gaza’s one or the South Africa’s one.
The case, which has created huge controversy, has been the main news of the week not just in the Basque Country and Spain but even has attracted the attention of the international media.
Finally on Monday 12th the court ruled that the two groups taking the case did not constitute a legitimate prosecution and dropped the charges.
Support for Basque political prisoners.
Hundreds of people gathered throughout the week in over 100 towns across the Basque Country to demand proper and humane treatment of the 765 Basque political prisoners. Etxerat, the relatives association, congratulated the Basque people for their ongoing support and especially for the 37,000 strong demonstration on the 3rd of January.
Precisely due to this rally the Spanish Home Minister declared last week his intention of investigating it to see if it can considered an offence and consequently prosecute the organisers - the Basque political prisoners’ relatives association.
Basque former prisoner Xabier Irastorza was arrested by French police in the north of the Basque Country last Thursday and sent to prison due to a European arrest warrant issued by the Spanish Special Court. Basque political refugees Lorea Zeziaga and Alejo Moreno were arrested in the north by French police on Tuesday 13th. Meanwhile, Basque prisoner Jon Lizarribar started a hunger strike against being expelled from the French state and placed in the hands of the Spanish police after serving his sentence in French jails.
Basque political prisoner Jon Bilbao has entered his 27th year in prison becoming the longest prisoner serving in Europe. The number of prisoners who spend 10, 15 or more than 20 years in prison is on the increase. Meanwhile prisoner Jose Angel Biguri has seen his sentence extended last week. He has been in prison for 21 years. He was supposed to be released next year but the Spanish Special Court has extended his sentence till 2019.
Spanish-Basque police brutally attacks march against High Speed Train.
Thousands of people gathered in the small town of Urbina in the province of Araba last Saturday to see the damages that the construction of the tracks for the High Speed Train has already been doing. At the end of the march the Spanish-Basque police attacked the protesters and tens of demonstrators were injured. 8 people were also arrested and at first, accused of “terrorism”. Check points were placed before and after the march.
There is currently a huge campaign against the construction of the tracks for a High Speed Train which will link the French and Spanish states through the Basque Country. This train will jeopardise seriously the future of the Basque Country due to its negative social and economic impact.
17 December 2008
News December 2008
- ETA kills a businessman involved in the construction of the High Speed Train.
- Liberty Under Surveillance.
- The pro independence movement calls on all sectors of Basque society to look at ways of opening a new political cycle.
- Basques tortured during 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
NEWS :
- ETA kills a businessman involved in the construction of the High Speed Train.
Inazio Uria owner of the Altuna and Uria construction company was shot dead in Azpeitia, Basque Country.
The 71 year old is one of the owners of Altuna and Uria one of the biggest construction companies in Gipuzkoa which owns many construction projects in the province, including the construction of the train tracks for the future high speed train.
The construction of the high speed train has created huge controversy in the Basque Country. This new project aims to connect France and Spain with a high speed train going through the Basque Country. Although politicians and business men believe that this would benefit the Basque Country, it would destroy the landscape, and would have huge negative socio economic implications.
This project has been rejected by a big section of Basque society and has been heavily criticized in the past by ETA. In fact the Basque armed organisation, has attacked the offices of the construction companies as well as their equipment involved in this project several times.
The killing has been condemned by politicians, trade unions and other institutions and have come out defending the high speed train project. Many protests have also taken place to condemn the killing.
Following Uria’s killing, the Spanish government has agreed to proceed to the banning of the remaining pro independence councils in the Basque Country.
Pro independence councils have refused to condemned the killing of Inazio Uria. Using this excuse, The Spanish right has been putting pressure on the government through the media to ban pro independence politicians from participating in councils in the Basque Country.
Liberty Under Surveillance.
The Spanish Council of Ministers has approved the introduction of the "Liberty Under Surveillance Bill", an extension of custody that attempts to impose up to 20 years of control and monitoring on Basque Political Prisoners once they are released. A measure that results, therefore, in a sentence of six decades, four behind bars and two more "under surveillance".
The reason given to justify the use of "Liberty Under Surveillance" is that the prison system does not fulfil the role of "reintegration". According to the new proposed bill, as with all previous steps aimed against the Basque pro-independence movement, the criteria that would govern judicial decisions depends on the "repentance" of prisoners. In fact, it introduces judicial supervision for life. This bill represents an outrageous intervention of the Spanish government into judicial matters to, once again, curtail and undermine basic civil and political rights.
The repertoire of measures imposed after release by the new bill include the prohibition to reside in certain places, the prohibition to leave his residence without permission of the judge, the obligation to appear regularly before the judge or the obligation to participate in work or training courses. As a final touch to this batch of measures, the Spanish Penal Code allows the judge to use electronic media to enable tracing and tracking of permanently released prisoners.
- The pro independence movement calls on all sectors of Basque society to look at ways of opening a new political cycle.
30 years after the Spanish Constitution was imposed upon Basques, the pro independence movement notes that it has no credibility what so ever in the Basque Country. On 6th December 1978, the Spanish Constitution was rejected by the majority of the Basques.
The pro independence movement, also acknowledges that they have a responsibility to propose an alternative and have called on all sectors of Basque society, specially the pro-independence ones, to debate and think about a common strategy to achieve a democratic scenario in the Basque Country.
- Basques tortured during 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
A French-Spanish police operation against ETA finished with eight people arrested. Three were arrested in France and five were arrested in the south of the Basque Country. It seems as though the French police allowed five to escape from their operation in order to let the Spanish police arrest them and torture them.
All of them have been sent to prison after five days incommunicado. During those days they were brutally tortured by the Spanish police. They were blind-folded and kept naked for the whole time; they were beaten, drenched in cold water, constantly suffocated with plastic bags and threatened with electric shocks and with being raped.
All of this happened while the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. The Spanish government took this opportunity to launch an alleged plan to stop torture. The anti-repression organization Askatasuna denounced the hypocrisy of such a thing and accused the Spanish government of using torture as a war tool against the Basque pro-independence movement.
Askatasuna stated that at least 60 Basque citizens have been tortured this year. In fact, 44 anti-torture Spanish groups criticized the Spanish government plan against torture. In a public letter they addressed to the Spanish prime minister Zapatero, they ask the government to follow the UNO recommendations and cease the incommunicado practice.
The Spanish branch of Amnesty International asked, along with the suppression of the incommunicado practice, for the use of video recording of the whole process of detention. Hundreds of people demonstrated in support of the detainees in their home towns during the week.
- Liberty Under Surveillance.
- The pro independence movement calls on all sectors of Basque society to look at ways of opening a new political cycle.
- Basques tortured during 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
NEWS :
- ETA kills a businessman involved in the construction of the High Speed Train.
Inazio Uria owner of the Altuna and Uria construction company was shot dead in Azpeitia, Basque Country.
The 71 year old is one of the owners of Altuna and Uria one of the biggest construction companies in Gipuzkoa which owns many construction projects in the province, including the construction of the train tracks for the future high speed train.
The construction of the high speed train has created huge controversy in the Basque Country. This new project aims to connect France and Spain with a high speed train going through the Basque Country. Although politicians and business men believe that this would benefit the Basque Country, it would destroy the landscape, and would have huge negative socio economic implications.
This project has been rejected by a big section of Basque society and has been heavily criticized in the past by ETA. In fact the Basque armed organisation, has attacked the offices of the construction companies as well as their equipment involved in this project several times.
The killing has been condemned by politicians, trade unions and other institutions and have come out defending the high speed train project. Many protests have also taken place to condemn the killing.
Following Uria’s killing, the Spanish government has agreed to proceed to the banning of the remaining pro independence councils in the Basque Country.
Pro independence councils have refused to condemned the killing of Inazio Uria. Using this excuse, The Spanish right has been putting pressure on the government through the media to ban pro independence politicians from participating in councils in the Basque Country.
Liberty Under Surveillance.
The Spanish Council of Ministers has approved the introduction of the "Liberty Under Surveillance Bill", an extension of custody that attempts to impose up to 20 years of control and monitoring on Basque Political Prisoners once they are released. A measure that results, therefore, in a sentence of six decades, four behind bars and two more "under surveillance".
The reason given to justify the use of "Liberty Under Surveillance" is that the prison system does not fulfil the role of "reintegration". According to the new proposed bill, as with all previous steps aimed against the Basque pro-independence movement, the criteria that would govern judicial decisions depends on the "repentance" of prisoners. In fact, it introduces judicial supervision for life. This bill represents an outrageous intervention of the Spanish government into judicial matters to, once again, curtail and undermine basic civil and political rights.
The repertoire of measures imposed after release by the new bill include the prohibition to reside in certain places, the prohibition to leave his residence without permission of the judge, the obligation to appear regularly before the judge or the obligation to participate in work or training courses. As a final touch to this batch of measures, the Spanish Penal Code allows the judge to use electronic media to enable tracing and tracking of permanently released prisoners.
- The pro independence movement calls on all sectors of Basque society to look at ways of opening a new political cycle.
30 years after the Spanish Constitution was imposed upon Basques, the pro independence movement notes that it has no credibility what so ever in the Basque Country. On 6th December 1978, the Spanish Constitution was rejected by the majority of the Basques.
The pro independence movement, also acknowledges that they have a responsibility to propose an alternative and have called on all sectors of Basque society, specially the pro-independence ones, to debate and think about a common strategy to achieve a democratic scenario in the Basque Country.
- Basques tortured during 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.
A French-Spanish police operation against ETA finished with eight people arrested. Three were arrested in France and five were arrested in the south of the Basque Country. It seems as though the French police allowed five to escape from their operation in order to let the Spanish police arrest them and torture them.
All of them have been sent to prison after five days incommunicado. During those days they were brutally tortured by the Spanish police. They were blind-folded and kept naked for the whole time; they were beaten, drenched in cold water, constantly suffocated with plastic bags and threatened with electric shocks and with being raped.
All of this happened while the world celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. The Spanish government took this opportunity to launch an alleged plan to stop torture. The anti-repression organization Askatasuna denounced the hypocrisy of such a thing and accused the Spanish government of using torture as a war tool against the Basque pro-independence movement.
Askatasuna stated that at least 60 Basque citizens have been tortured this year. In fact, 44 anti-torture Spanish groups criticized the Spanish government plan against torture. In a public letter they addressed to the Spanish prime minister Zapatero, they ask the government to follow the UNO recommendations and cease the incommunicado practice.
The Spanish branch of Amnesty International asked, along with the suppression of the incommunicado practice, for the use of video recording of the whole process of detention. Hundreds of people demonstrated in support of the detainees in their home towns during the week.
9 November 2008
News November 2008
- Increase of repression shows it’s time for change.
- Activities in London, October 2008.
NEWS :
Increase of repression shows it’s time for change.
The left pro-independence movement has denounced the repressive situation in the Basque province of Navarre for the last few weeks. 21 people have been arrested, 14 have claimed they were tortured, 3 political organizations have been banned, 20 demonstrations have been prohibited and attacked, 7 people have been hospitalised and the number of political prisoners has reached an all time high. This situation reflects the deteriorating situation in the Basque Country and the ongoing political conflict.
According to the left pro-independence movement these are times for change. The Spanish state is trying to stop change by using all their repressive tools. The coming months will define the next years situation. The nationalist left believes a democratic situation has to be reached where all political objectives will be able to be defended in the same conditions and in absence of violence.
The Spanish government knows that the left pro-independence movement is the engine for change. This is why they are using illegalization, detentions, tortures, and other repressive methods against political pro-independence activists and organizations.
The Basque pro-independence movement wants to reaffirm its commitment to continue the struggle in all areas to improve the political and living conditions of Basque citizens; and in favour of independence and socialism and calls upon all other sectors who believe in the need of a democratic framework to come together.
Activities in London, October 2008.
The Basque Solidarity Campaign has started its activities by a series of events organised in London.
We have received a visit from Gorka Elejabarrieta, a representative of the left pro-independence movement in Brussels and Urko Ayarza, a lawyer from Behatokia, the Basque Observatory of human rights. From the 19th to the 26th of October, Gorka and Urko have been lobbying UK politicians and speaking to a large number of organisations interested in issues related to human rights, self-determination rights and conflict resolution.
Our guests have participated in three public events:
- Communist University of Britain
- Seminar Series of the Haldane Society, Statewatch and CAMPACC.
- A public meeting on the 22/10/08 at the Union Tavern in South London organised by the Basque Solidarity Campaign.
This is a summary of the speech given by Gorka at the Communist Univeristy of Britain:
For more information about these activities contact:
askida.net@googlemail.com
londonbasquecommittees@googlemail.com
- Activities in London, October 2008.
NEWS :
Increase of repression shows it’s time for change.
The left pro-independence movement has denounced the repressive situation in the Basque province of Navarre for the last few weeks. 21 people have been arrested, 14 have claimed they were tortured, 3 political organizations have been banned, 20 demonstrations have been prohibited and attacked, 7 people have been hospitalised and the number of political prisoners has reached an all time high. This situation reflects the deteriorating situation in the Basque Country and the ongoing political conflict.
According to the left pro-independence movement these are times for change. The Spanish state is trying to stop change by using all their repressive tools. The coming months will define the next years situation. The nationalist left believes a democratic situation has to be reached where all political objectives will be able to be defended in the same conditions and in absence of violence.
The Spanish government knows that the left pro-independence movement is the engine for change. This is why they are using illegalization, detentions, tortures, and other repressive methods against political pro-independence activists and organizations.
The Basque pro-independence movement wants to reaffirm its commitment to continue the struggle in all areas to improve the political and living conditions of Basque citizens; and in favour of independence and socialism and calls upon all other sectors who believe in the need of a democratic framework to come together.
Activities in London, October 2008.
The Basque Solidarity Campaign has started its activities by a series of events organised in London.
We have received a visit from Gorka Elejabarrieta, a representative of the left pro-independence movement in Brussels and Urko Ayarza, a lawyer from Behatokia, the Basque Observatory of human rights. From the 19th to the 26th of October, Gorka and Urko have been lobbying UK politicians and speaking to a large number of organisations interested in issues related to human rights, self-determination rights and conflict resolution.
Our guests have participated in three public events:
- Communist University of Britain
- Seminar Series of the Haldane Society, Statewatch and CAMPACC.
- A public meeting on the 22/10/08 at the Union Tavern in South London organised by the Basque Solidarity Campaign.
This is a summary of the speech given by Gorka at the Communist Univeristy of Britain:
Since the end of the peace process Spanish Government has arrested all the board of Batasuna, including those members that took part in the negotiation process. It has banned two other political parties, including ANV, a party that fought against fascism in the Basque Country and in Europe in the 30s and 40s.
The analysis of the process shows that the main political issue is the recognition of the Basque Country as a country. The conflict is not the simple subsistence of an armed action, but the serious unease of the majority of the Basque citizens, as they are denied the right to decide their future.
The problem that brings the Spanish State and Euskal Herria face to face is not a security problem, it is a deep political problem, it is a problem of refusing the existence of a nation with its rights. A problem that the international community in general, and Europe in particular know that has no other solution but apolitical solution. There is no other option: sooner or later, the wishes of the Basque citizenry will have to be satisfied. With its last proposal, ETA has made clear that the problem is not the armed action.
The answer is to establish a democratic framework that allows to solve the political conflict. In that matter, Batasuna has suggested a constructive proposal that tries to fit together the various sensitivities that exist in the country, from a historical point of view. This proposal tries to integrate the various ideological tendencies and ways to feel the country that exist in south Euskal Herria. Batasuna commits itself to keep working for a political solution for the conflict, without forgetting or scorning to work for the objectives it established when it was founded: independence and social justice.
For more information about these activities contact:
askida.net@googlemail.com
londonbasquecommittees@googlemail.com
5 October 2008
Response to Judicial Abuse
- Lawyers complain that "there are pursuing ideas and political dissent" based on the interests of the State.
- Rally in Bilbao
NEWS :
Lawyers complain.
Lawyers who have participated in the procedures against the pro-amnesty movement, EHAK("Communist Party of the Basque Homelands") and EAE-ANV (Basque Nationalist Action) , have complained today that "they are prosecuting political ideas and political dissent in procedures whose sentences are handed down in advance”.
The lawyers Jone Goirizelaia, Haizea Ziluaga, Arantza Zulueta, Iñaki Goioaga, Kepa Landa and Ainhoa Baglieto gave a press conference to make a juridical reading of the latest legal rulings. All of them have participated in the proceedings against the outlawed pro-amnesty movement, EHAK or EAE-ANV.
According Kepa Landa, these recent court decisions "are not pursuing specific conducts, specific criminal conducts, nor specific attention is being given to specific groups or individual behavior." In his view, "what they are pursuing are political ideas and dissent." In all these procedures, added, "the schemes are the same" and "none of them transmits the existence of criminal behaviour of any kind, no abuse of law or legal right other than the state's interest to act in a certain way. "
Landa explained that with all this "they are trying to achieve the disappearance of a social and political space" thus avoiding "any intervention in society and politics of people who belong to that space."
"We win trials and lose sentences"
In addition, he has denounced that new cases against more than a hundred people has been announced, "which are going to come in the same parameters, criteria and the same expected results." "They announce procedures whose judgements are already written," he stressed.
The lawyer has also referred to his work as well as that of his peers in these proceedings, and says that "it is clear that doesn't matter what it is proved" in them. "No matter the proof, or legal practice, nor the laws. If necessary laws are stretched and twisted in such a way so that they can issue a court order in line with the whole orientation of the process."
It has also complained that “the Spanish state has enacted specific laws against Basque dissidence which increasingly pursue social aspects” . “In judicial practice, what is being done is to follow the guidelines set by the Police and the Civil Guard,” said adding that "everything goes through police reports." In addition, he has emphasized, "courts do not admit the evidence presented by the defence even if it is obvious, we win the trials but lose the judgements."
"To the Spanish political system doesn't matter at all to dispense with the appearance that this is a democratic state, to do without the rule of law and the most basic separation of powers," he explained.
Finally, has revealed that this is very serious and that "it is destroying an entire system of civil liberties and, in particular, those concerning many citizens of Euskal Herria".
More than 25,000 people demanding freedom in the streets of Bilbao. .
The requirement to the PSOE to put an end to the "state of exception" which has been imposed in Euskal Herria was endorsed by more than 25,000 people. The demonstration toured the streets of Bilbao in response to the call by the pro-amnesty movement two weeks ago . They reported that the Spanish government is making a political use of violence to attack political dissent and portend difficult times, but insisted on the need to continue working and struggling for the self-determination right.
Thousands of people yesterday in Bilbao responded to the call of the pro-amnesty movement to cope with the onslaught of repression with which the Madrid and Paris governments have launched a new political course. Such tactics, as reported, has known no limits and no end in recent weeks, following the same line in which the Spanish and French states have worked in recent decades with regard to Euskal Herria.
The march was led by a banner with the slogan "Salbuespen egoerari aurre eginez ... Euskal Herriak Askatasuna, which showed several familiar faces from Basque Counry politics. Some, like the case of Josu Beaumont and Jagoba Terrones, recently convicted by the Audiencia Nacional for taking part in the pro-amnesty movement; next to them, the president of EAE-ANV, Kepa Bereziartua, historical formation that has been placed outside the Spanish law a few weeks ago.
According to the census carried out by GARA, more than 26,000 people supported the call. During the march people chanted slogans against the PNV and demanded the repatriation of Basque political prisoners.
- Rally in Bilbao
NEWS :
Lawyers complain.
Lawyers who have participated in the procedures against the pro-amnesty movement, EHAK("Communist Party of the Basque Homelands") and EAE-ANV (Basque Nationalist Action) , have complained today that "they are prosecuting political ideas and political dissent in procedures whose sentences are handed down in advance”.
The lawyers Jone Goirizelaia, Haizea Ziluaga, Arantza Zulueta, Iñaki Goioaga, Kepa Landa and Ainhoa Baglieto gave a press conference to make a juridical reading of the latest legal rulings. All of them have participated in the proceedings against the outlawed pro-amnesty movement, EHAK or EAE-ANV.
According Kepa Landa, these recent court decisions "are not pursuing specific conducts, specific criminal conducts, nor specific attention is being given to specific groups or individual behavior." In his view, "what they are pursuing are political ideas and dissent." In all these procedures, added, "the schemes are the same" and "none of them transmits the existence of criminal behaviour of any kind, no abuse of law or legal right other than the state's interest to act in a certain way. "
Landa explained that with all this "they are trying to achieve the disappearance of a social and political space" thus avoiding "any intervention in society and politics of people who belong to that space."
"We win trials and lose sentences"
In addition, he has denounced that new cases against more than a hundred people has been announced, "which are going to come in the same parameters, criteria and the same expected results." "They announce procedures whose judgements are already written," he stressed.
The lawyer has also referred to his work as well as that of his peers in these proceedings, and says that "it is clear that doesn't matter what it is proved" in them. "No matter the proof, or legal practice, nor the laws. If necessary laws are stretched and twisted in such a way so that they can issue a court order in line with the whole orientation of the process."
It has also complained that “the Spanish state has enacted specific laws against Basque dissidence which increasingly pursue social aspects” . “In judicial practice, what is being done is to follow the guidelines set by the Police and the Civil Guard,” said adding that "everything goes through police reports." In addition, he has emphasized, "courts do not admit the evidence presented by the defence even if it is obvious, we win the trials but lose the judgements."
"To the Spanish political system doesn't matter at all to dispense with the appearance that this is a democratic state, to do without the rule of law and the most basic separation of powers," he explained.
Finally, has revealed that this is very serious and that "it is destroying an entire system of civil liberties and, in particular, those concerning many citizens of Euskal Herria".
More than 25,000 people demanding freedom in the streets of Bilbao. .
The requirement to the PSOE to put an end to the "state of exception" which has been imposed in Euskal Herria was endorsed by more than 25,000 people. The demonstration toured the streets of Bilbao in response to the call by the pro-amnesty movement two weeks ago . They reported that the Spanish government is making a political use of violence to attack political dissent and portend difficult times, but insisted on the need to continue working and struggling for the self-determination right.
Thousands of people yesterday in Bilbao responded to the call of the pro-amnesty movement to cope with the onslaught of repression with which the Madrid and Paris governments have launched a new political course. Such tactics, as reported, has known no limits and no end in recent weeks, following the same line in which the Spanish and French states have worked in recent decades with regard to Euskal Herria.
The march was led by a banner with the slogan "Salbuespen egoerari aurre eginez ... Euskal Herriak Askatasuna, which showed several familiar faces from Basque Counry politics. Some, like the case of Josu Beaumont and Jagoba Terrones, recently convicted by the Audiencia Nacional for taking part in the pro-amnesty movement; next to them, the president of EAE-ANV, Kepa Bereziartua, historical formation that has been placed outside the Spanish law a few weeks ago.
According to the census carried out by GARA, more than 26,000 people supported the call. During the march people chanted slogans against the PNV and demanded the repatriation of Basque political prisoners.
2 October 2008
Judicial Abuse
- Another judicial abuse against fundamental political liberties in Basque Country.
- French Government attempts to ban Batasuna in France.
- Free Torture in Spain and Basque Country!.
NEWS :
- EAE - ANV and EHAK banned.
16th of September
Spanish Supreme Tribunal confirmed by unanimous decision, the illegalisation of EAE-ANV (Basque Nationalist Action) a historical Basque pro-independence party with a strong socialist tradition. A few days later, EHAK ("Communist Party of the Basque Homelands"), another pro-independence party was also banned.
ANV was the first Basque Nationalist political party to exist that presented itself on a socialist platform, it played a crucial role during the Spanish Civil War but maintained a low key profile during transition to democracy. Together with EHAK ("Communist Party of the Basque Homelands"), they became prominent again when they decided to take up the baton in the struggle for independence from other previously banned parties such as Batasuna. The Spanish Government, using a completely submissive judicial system, has thus eradicated the possibility to fight for an independent Basque Country by peaceful and democratic means.
This only comes days after the Constitutional Tribunal banned an open consultation on the future of Basque Country and the end of violence, which was organised by the autonomous Government. We invite you to condemn the lack of judicial independence and the active role that Spanish high courts are taking in the suppression of fundamental liberties in the Basque Country.
- French Judiciary jumps on the bandwagon of banning civil liberties.
Thirteen people were arrested last month in different locations in the French Basque Country in an operation presented as a result of the investigation into an act of sabotage against the tourist resort of Alain Ducasse. However, the number and mix of detainees, as well as the registration of two venues that belong to the pro-indpendence movment, raises doubts about the reasons for this police raids. The operation seemed to have a broader objective: to punish the independence movement.
What the police sources could not explain was the direct involvement of each one of those arrested with this action, or other acts of sabotage against tourism and real estate developments in recent times. With the passage of time, official sources acknowledged that three of the arrests, of Urtzi-García, Gorka Betolaza and Oskar-Bizkaia, occurred by chance. They happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But the question that all the arrests were justified under the umbrella of the investigation into the sabotage of Ducasse was still not clear, as noted by the local radio station France Bleue, which expressed its surprise about the mix and nature the detainees, some of them known for their public political activity.
The operation led by the magistrates Laurence Le Vert and Marie-Antoinette Houyvet appeared as a punitive operation against the pro-independence movement.
- Free Torture in Spain and Basque Country!
At least 33 civil guards and policemen convicted for torture had been pardoned by the various Spanish governments since the nineties. The vast majority of them, as many as 27, had abused Basque pro-independence activists. Moreover, almost all agents convicted in related cases in the Basque Country were eventually pardoned or failed to meet their sentences.
A study published in December 2004 by Amnesty International noted that between 1980 and that year there had been some 450 rulings relating to torture, which resulted in little more than 90 convictions. In total, in that period of time, about 220 agents had been convicted. According to analysis conducted by Basque newspaper GARA, from all those convictions, only 40 agents were involved in arrests of Basque pro-independence activists which constitutes a extremely low conviction rate compared to allegations from prisoners unrelated to the Basque Independence Movement. At least 27 of them ended up being pardoned. It is not known if they came to serve their sentence, since in more than one case, we have found that officials, that should have been disqualified, were still working at another job or had even been promoted.
The Civil Guard never dispensed, for example, with the services of Captain Jose Perez Navarrete, his colleague Jose Antonio Hernandez del Barco and agents Emilio Parar Moreno, Alejandro Blanco and Julio Iglesias Saavedra Mariño. All were convicted of torture to Juana Goikoetxea in 1987 to four months imprisonment and four years' disqualification. In February 1993, were pardoned by the government of Felipe González. Justice Minister Tomas de la Quadra-Salcedo, justified the pardon granted to the civil guards on the grounds that "the discourse of rehabilitation 1" must be global. The Minister added that after almost twelve years that these agents have continued serving in the same positions (after torturing Goikoetxea), it would not make much sense to apply the penalty of disqualification from their professional activities to which they were convicted.
There are also those who had been pardoned by up to two occasions. The civil guards Jose Dominguez Tuda, Manuel Macias Ramos and Antonio Roman Rios were convicted in 1990 of torturing brothers Victor Jesus, Joxe Mari and Lucio Olarra and Iñaki Olaetxea, and pardoned in early 1991. At the years following the 22nd of September of 1992, the same Jose Dominguez Tuda, was sentenced again, this time for torture to Jokin Olano in 1983. In March 1995, a new justice minister, Juan Alberto Belloch, pardoned him again for this crime, like the agent Manuel Caballero, also condemned for the mistreatment of Olano. The then minister of Justice and Interior said that the two Civil Guards pardoned “have demonstrated in the past eleven years of service in research work of terrorism that they are effectively reintegrated”.
1
(This was a controversial policy applied to ETA members designed to divide prisoners and reject their political status)
- French Government attempts to ban Batasuna in France.
- Free Torture in Spain and Basque Country!.
NEWS :
- EAE - ANV and EHAK banned.
16th of September
Spanish Supreme Tribunal confirmed by unanimous decision, the illegalisation of EAE-ANV (Basque Nationalist Action) a historical Basque pro-independence party with a strong socialist tradition. A few days later, EHAK ("Communist Party of the Basque Homelands"), another pro-independence party was also banned.
ANV was the first Basque Nationalist political party to exist that presented itself on a socialist platform, it played a crucial role during the Spanish Civil War but maintained a low key profile during transition to democracy. Together with EHAK ("Communist Party of the Basque Homelands"), they became prominent again when they decided to take up the baton in the struggle for independence from other previously banned parties such as Batasuna. The Spanish Government, using a completely submissive judicial system, has thus eradicated the possibility to fight for an independent Basque Country by peaceful and democratic means.
This only comes days after the Constitutional Tribunal banned an open consultation on the future of Basque Country and the end of violence, which was organised by the autonomous Government. We invite you to condemn the lack of judicial independence and the active role that Spanish high courts are taking in the suppression of fundamental liberties in the Basque Country.
- French Judiciary jumps on the bandwagon of banning civil liberties.
Thirteen people were arrested last month in different locations in the French Basque Country in an operation presented as a result of the investigation into an act of sabotage against the tourist resort of Alain Ducasse. However, the number and mix of detainees, as well as the registration of two venues that belong to the pro-indpendence movment, raises doubts about the reasons for this police raids. The operation seemed to have a broader objective: to punish the independence movement.
What the police sources could not explain was the direct involvement of each one of those arrested with this action, or other acts of sabotage against tourism and real estate developments in recent times. With the passage of time, official sources acknowledged that three of the arrests, of Urtzi-García, Gorka Betolaza and Oskar-Bizkaia, occurred by chance. They happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But the question that all the arrests were justified under the umbrella of the investigation into the sabotage of Ducasse was still not clear, as noted by the local radio station France Bleue, which expressed its surprise about the mix and nature the detainees, some of them known for their public political activity.
The operation led by the magistrates Laurence Le Vert and Marie-Antoinette Houyvet appeared as a punitive operation against the pro-independence movement.
- Free Torture in Spain and Basque Country!
At least 33 civil guards and policemen convicted for torture had been pardoned by the various Spanish governments since the nineties. The vast majority of them, as many as 27, had abused Basque pro-independence activists. Moreover, almost all agents convicted in related cases in the Basque Country were eventually pardoned or failed to meet their sentences.
A study published in December 2004 by Amnesty International noted that between 1980 and that year there had been some 450 rulings relating to torture, which resulted in little more than 90 convictions. In total, in that period of time, about 220 agents had been convicted. According to analysis conducted by Basque newspaper GARA, from all those convictions, only 40 agents were involved in arrests of Basque pro-independence activists which constitutes a extremely low conviction rate compared to allegations from prisoners unrelated to the Basque Independence Movement. At least 27 of them ended up being pardoned. It is not known if they came to serve their sentence, since in more than one case, we have found that officials, that should have been disqualified, were still working at another job or had even been promoted.
The Civil Guard never dispensed, for example, with the services of Captain Jose Perez Navarrete, his colleague Jose Antonio Hernandez del Barco and agents Emilio Parar Moreno, Alejandro Blanco and Julio Iglesias Saavedra Mariño. All were convicted of torture to Juana Goikoetxea in 1987 to four months imprisonment and four years' disqualification. In February 1993, were pardoned by the government of Felipe González. Justice Minister Tomas de la Quadra-Salcedo, justified the pardon granted to the civil guards on the grounds that "the discourse of rehabilitation 1" must be global. The Minister added that after almost twelve years that these agents have continued serving in the same positions (after torturing Goikoetxea), it would not make much sense to apply the penalty of disqualification from their professional activities to which they were convicted.
There are also those who had been pardoned by up to two occasions. The civil guards Jose Dominguez Tuda, Manuel Macias Ramos and Antonio Roman Rios were convicted in 1990 of torturing brothers Victor Jesus, Joxe Mari and Lucio Olarra and Iñaki Olaetxea, and pardoned in early 1991. At the years following the 22nd of September of 1992, the same Jose Dominguez Tuda, was sentenced again, this time for torture to Jokin Olano in 1983. In March 1995, a new justice minister, Juan Alberto Belloch, pardoned him again for this crime, like the agent Manuel Caballero, also condemned for the mistreatment of Olano. The then minister of Justice and Interior said that the two Civil Guards pardoned “have demonstrated in the past eleven years of service in research work of terrorism that they are effectively reintegrated”.
1
(This was a controversial policy applied to ETA members designed to divide prisoners and reject their political status)
2 July 2008
News July 2008
- The Basque parliament of Gasteiz/Vitoria approves the proposal for a consultation on the future of the Basque Country.
-Solidarity with accused in show trial continues.
- The Spanish Labour and Conservative parties refuse to acknowledge the victims of the Spanish security forces.
- Lawyers ask for the reopening of the case around Spanish police massacre.
Prisoners / Repression
NEWS :
- The Basque parliament of Gasteiz/Vitoria approves the proposal for a consultation on the future of the Basque country..
34 votes in favour and 33 against the proposal. That was the result.
Next October 25th Basque citizens from the provinces of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba, will have to give their views on the way forward in the Basque country.
However the Spanish government has threatened to ban the consultation as according to the Spanish Constitution it is an illegal move.
Last May, Juan Jose Ibarretxe the president of the Basque Autonomous government announced his intention to consult Basques on their views about the future of the Basque Country.
Although most of the parties have supported the proposal the Spanish government rejected it straight away and threatened of vetoing it.
The pro independence movement has also been critical of the consultation.
The pro independence representatives in the parliament, EHAK/Communist Party of the Basque Lands, decided to give one of their votes in favour of the motion so it could be approved. The Spanish government had already made public that they would stop any kind of referendum. The pro independence movement wants to see which is the real commitment of the Basque Nationalist Party to go ahead with the referendum and that’s why they made possible for the motion to be passed. The rest of the pro independence representatives abstained at the vote to show they don’t agree with the motion. The pro independence movement has criticised the autonomous government and the Basque nationalist Party of using the consultation to their own protect their interests and to remain in power.
They see the consultation as an exercise without any value as in the last 30 years the Basque Nationalist Party has been in power into eh Basque Country and has done nothing to resolve the political conflict.
According to Batasuna this is a unilateral proposal that’s limited to 3 of the 7 provinces of the Basque Country. For Batasuna the proposal does not go further than the constrained powers already contained in the statute of autonomy and doesn’t take into account the other four Basque provinces. The pro-independence party thinks this proposal aims to be just a mere electoral platform for the Basque Nationalist Party rather than a tool to resolve the political conflict.
As previously mentioned, the Spanish government has made it clear that they will ban the consultation. In front of that the Basque Autonomous government has defended their intentions by saying that there is nothing illegal in consulting citizens on issues such as their won future.
We will have to wait and see what happens next October and there is no doubt that we will be talking about this consultation in future bulletins.
-Solidarity with accused in show trial continues..
250 people took part in a public talk during the week and hundreds more in a demonstration last Saturday in Gasteiz/Vitoria to support the 27 activists accused in the last Spanish show trial against the prisoners support organization Askatasuna/Freedom.
The banner, which was carried by most of the accused, stated that “The Basque Country needs freedom”.
At the end of the rally one of the speakers said that the pro-amnesty movement was born with the aim of disband but no one neither a thousand of sentences will make it be disbanded. The pro-amnesty movement will disappear when all Basque political prisoners and refugees are back in home, she added.
The trial just finished last week and the state prosecutor’s petitions go up to 13 years in prison.
- The Spanish Labour and Conservative parties refuse to acknowledge the victims of the Spanish security forces..
Last Thursday the Director of the Human Rights of the Basque government presented its findings on the Victims of Violence which have a political motive.
The document counts with 109 deaths caused by security forces and 583 injured by the police or paramilitaries or right wing groups. But the Spanish labour and conservative parties criticized the document as a humiliation for the victims of terrorism and killed police officers, creating that way a hierarchy of victims.
The Director of human rights also highlighted the fact that the document could not be fully completed due to time constraints, in particular around the victims of torture. The document counts between 5000 and 7000 people who have been victims of torture.
But the pro-Spanish parties dismissed the findings and accused the human rights Director of doing a very poor job based on newspaper articles. They also dismissed the recent findings of the United Nations about the fact that torture exists and happens regularly in Spain.
-Lawyers ask for the reopening of the case around Spanish police massacre..
30 years ago the Basque capital, Irunea/Pamplona was celebrating its worldwide famous festival, the Sanfermines. On the 8th of July, while thousands of people filled the bulls’ arena, dozens of Spanish policemen got in and attacked the public. The excuse for the attack was the exhibition of banners in support of Basque political prisoners. On the day, riots spread around the city very quickly. One young left pro-independence man was killed and hundreds injured.
30 years on no one has been charged with the killing. But that police attack is still alive in people’s minds. Last week more than 70 lawyers signed a petition to ask for the re-opening of the case and bring the people responsible for the killing to court. The lawyers said that the Spanish Justice hasn’t just been blind but deaf, dumb and useless as well.
-PRISONERS / REPRESSION.
- Critically ill, Basque prisoner Anjel Figueroa has been transferred back to prison from hospital.
Anjel suffers from serious epilepsy and has been hospitalized several times recently.
According to the Spanish law, Anjel should be released due to his illness but the Spanish authorities are refusing to free him.
Instead, Anjel was transferred from the hospital where he was last Saturday back to prison. Although this may sound like an improvement on his health, his supporters have made it clear that Anjel’s health is not improving and that putting him back in prison is actually worse as there is no proper facilities to look after him.
- Meanwhile the relatives of prisoner Nuria Antzugurai from Donostia San Sebastian suffered a car accident at the weekend when they were coming back from seeing her in Madrid. No one was injured in the accident.
Askatasuna hilghligted that it is the 8th accident this year of relatives going to see their loved one’s in prison.
Over 700 prisoners are currently scattered in a hundred prisons in France and Spain.
-Solidarity with accused in show trial continues.
- The Spanish Labour and Conservative parties refuse to acknowledge the victims of the Spanish security forces.
- Lawyers ask for the reopening of the case around Spanish police massacre.
Prisoners / Repression
NEWS :
- The Basque parliament of Gasteiz/Vitoria approves the proposal for a consultation on the future of the Basque country..
34 votes in favour and 33 against the proposal. That was the result.
Next October 25th Basque citizens from the provinces of Gipuzkoa, Bizkaia and Araba, will have to give their views on the way forward in the Basque country.
However the Spanish government has threatened to ban the consultation as according to the Spanish Constitution it is an illegal move.
Last May, Juan Jose Ibarretxe the president of the Basque Autonomous government announced his intention to consult Basques on their views about the future of the Basque Country.
Although most of the parties have supported the proposal the Spanish government rejected it straight away and threatened of vetoing it.
The pro independence movement has also been critical of the consultation.
The pro independence representatives in the parliament, EHAK/Communist Party of the Basque Lands, decided to give one of their votes in favour of the motion so it could be approved. The Spanish government had already made public that they would stop any kind of referendum. The pro independence movement wants to see which is the real commitment of the Basque Nationalist Party to go ahead with the referendum and that’s why they made possible for the motion to be passed. The rest of the pro independence representatives abstained at the vote to show they don’t agree with the motion. The pro independence movement has criticised the autonomous government and the Basque nationalist Party of using the consultation to their own protect their interests and to remain in power.
They see the consultation as an exercise without any value as in the last 30 years the Basque Nationalist Party has been in power into eh Basque Country and has done nothing to resolve the political conflict.
According to Batasuna this is a unilateral proposal that’s limited to 3 of the 7 provinces of the Basque Country. For Batasuna the proposal does not go further than the constrained powers already contained in the statute of autonomy and doesn’t take into account the other four Basque provinces. The pro-independence party thinks this proposal aims to be just a mere electoral platform for the Basque Nationalist Party rather than a tool to resolve the political conflict.
As previously mentioned, the Spanish government has made it clear that they will ban the consultation. In front of that the Basque Autonomous government has defended their intentions by saying that there is nothing illegal in consulting citizens on issues such as their won future.
We will have to wait and see what happens next October and there is no doubt that we will be talking about this consultation in future bulletins.
-Solidarity with accused in show trial continues..
250 people took part in a public talk during the week and hundreds more in a demonstration last Saturday in Gasteiz/Vitoria to support the 27 activists accused in the last Spanish show trial against the prisoners support organization Askatasuna/Freedom.
The banner, which was carried by most of the accused, stated that “The Basque Country needs freedom”.
At the end of the rally one of the speakers said that the pro-amnesty movement was born with the aim of disband but no one neither a thousand of sentences will make it be disbanded. The pro-amnesty movement will disappear when all Basque political prisoners and refugees are back in home, she added.
The trial just finished last week and the state prosecutor’s petitions go up to 13 years in prison.
- The Spanish Labour and Conservative parties refuse to acknowledge the victims of the Spanish security forces..
Last Thursday the Director of the Human Rights of the Basque government presented its findings on the Victims of Violence which have a political motive.
The document counts with 109 deaths caused by security forces and 583 injured by the police or paramilitaries or right wing groups. But the Spanish labour and conservative parties criticized the document as a humiliation for the victims of terrorism and killed police officers, creating that way a hierarchy of victims.
The Director of human rights also highlighted the fact that the document could not be fully completed due to time constraints, in particular around the victims of torture. The document counts between 5000 and 7000 people who have been victims of torture.
But the pro-Spanish parties dismissed the findings and accused the human rights Director of doing a very poor job based on newspaper articles. They also dismissed the recent findings of the United Nations about the fact that torture exists and happens regularly in Spain.
-Lawyers ask for the reopening of the case around Spanish police massacre..
30 years ago the Basque capital, Irunea/Pamplona was celebrating its worldwide famous festival, the Sanfermines. On the 8th of July, while thousands of people filled the bulls’ arena, dozens of Spanish policemen got in and attacked the public. The excuse for the attack was the exhibition of banners in support of Basque political prisoners. On the day, riots spread around the city very quickly. One young left pro-independence man was killed and hundreds injured.
30 years on no one has been charged with the killing. But that police attack is still alive in people’s minds. Last week more than 70 lawyers signed a petition to ask for the re-opening of the case and bring the people responsible for the killing to court. The lawyers said that the Spanish Justice hasn’t just been blind but deaf, dumb and useless as well.
-PRISONERS / REPRESSION.
- Critically ill, Basque prisoner Anjel Figueroa has been transferred back to prison from hospital.
Anjel suffers from serious epilepsy and has been hospitalized several times recently.
According to the Spanish law, Anjel should be released due to his illness but the Spanish authorities are refusing to free him.
Instead, Anjel was transferred from the hospital where he was last Saturday back to prison. Although this may sound like an improvement on his health, his supporters have made it clear that Anjel’s health is not improving and that putting him back in prison is actually worse as there is no proper facilities to look after him.
- Meanwhile the relatives of prisoner Nuria Antzugurai from Donostia San Sebastian suffered a car accident at the weekend when they were coming back from seeing her in Madrid. No one was injured in the accident.
Askatasuna hilghligted that it is the 8th accident this year of relatives going to see their loved one’s in prison.
Over 700 prisoners are currently scattered in a hundred prisons in France and Spain.
Did Basques Support the Spanish National Team in the UEFA Euro 2008?
I was in a London pub with some Basques friends watching the football. The place was full and people were sitting by the floor at the beer garden. At our table a lonely guy sat down quietly during the hole match. He was a German, probably intimidated by the Spanish friendly crow and all the booing against Germans that took place since they came out to the pitch. We were also quiet during most of the mach. When the referee blew last whistle, we couldn't hide our disappointment. Then the German guy looked at us and said, Sprechen Sie Deutsch? -Sorry no German - Am I missing something here? - Yes, we are Basques. Then, we all laugh and found some comfort realising that destiny had placed us at the losers’ table.
British media have congratulated the Spanish on the beautiful football they played during the whole tournament. Fair enough. However, they go on to praise the coming together of regional rivalries and the new diverse make-up of Spanish cultural identity. Non-sense. We the Basques do not support Spanish National teams and it is not difficult to find statistics to back up this statement.
The Spanish official bodies are boycotting every effort to grant officialdom to Basque National teams, not only in football, but also in any other sport. Even in Basque Pelota, which is so close to our hearts, we must compete under the Spanish or the French flag. The sport laws are quite complex and designed to undermine real participation and support. In a nutshell, the law says that in the only circumstances were Basques can represented themselves is when there is no Spanish equivalent team or sports federation.
Basques were the pioneers that introduced surf to France and Spain. They created the Basque Surfing Federation and had been competing with great success for a decade but in the year 2000 they were expelled from the European Surf Federation (ESF) because the Spanish Surf Federation was created, possibly with the main intention of stopping the Basques competing internationally. In a recent court ruling the Supreme Tribunal of Spain said that this moved was illegal but we are still waiting to regain our place in the ESF. That is cheating of the worse kind, not in the pitch but in the offices of bureaucrats.
We can find similar events, barriers to entry, legal and bureaucratic obstacles in most sports. It seems that the main item of the sport and cultural agenda of Spanish authorities is to prevent Basque people representing themselves in international competitions. This unsporty behaviour prevents most Basques from supporting the team of our choice. As long as this takes place we will continue to go against Spanish national teams and we will say that, no matter how well they played, they didn’t deserve to win.
British media have congratulated the Spanish on the beautiful football they played during the whole tournament. Fair enough. However, they go on to praise the coming together of regional rivalries and the new diverse make-up of Spanish cultural identity. Non-sense. We the Basques do not support Spanish National teams and it is not difficult to find statistics to back up this statement.
The Spanish official bodies are boycotting every effort to grant officialdom to Basque National teams, not only in football, but also in any other sport. Even in Basque Pelota, which is so close to our hearts, we must compete under the Spanish or the French flag. The sport laws are quite complex and designed to undermine real participation and support. In a nutshell, the law says that in the only circumstances were Basques can represented themselves is when there is no Spanish equivalent team or sports federation.
Basques were the pioneers that introduced surf to France and Spain. They created the Basque Surfing Federation and had been competing with great success for a decade but in the year 2000 they were expelled from the European Surf Federation (ESF) because the Spanish Surf Federation was created, possibly with the main intention of stopping the Basques competing internationally. In a recent court ruling the Supreme Tribunal of Spain said that this moved was illegal but we are still waiting to regain our place in the ESF. That is cheating of the worse kind, not in the pitch but in the offices of bureaucrats.
We can find similar events, barriers to entry, legal and bureaucratic obstacles in most sports. It seems that the main item of the sport and cultural agenda of Spanish authorities is to prevent Basque people representing themselves in international competitions. This unsporty behaviour prevents most Basques from supporting the team of our choice. As long as this takes place we will continue to go against Spanish national teams and we will say that, no matter how well they played, they didn’t deserve to win.
10 April 2008
News April 2008
-Only self determination can bring real political change in the Basque Country, says ETA.
-After 27 years on the run Basque political refugee Patxi Otaegi, aged 87, died last week in the north of the Basque Country from a heart attack.
-The leadership of the largest Basque trade union ELA has criticized the so called Basque Nationalist Party/PNV’s current position.
-Arrests/Repression.
-Other
NEWS
- Only self determination can bring real political change in the Basque Country, says ETA..
In its last statement ETA takes responsibility for the last 5 actions, including the killing of the Spanish Labour Party member Isaias Carrasco, who was killed on the eve of the March elections. The armed group also takes responsibility for the car bomb attack that destroyed the Spanish police station of Calahorra, as well as the explosions against courts and broadcasting aerials.
According to ETA, as long as the right to decide and territoriality are denied to Basque people there will not be any peace in the Spanish State.
In its statement ETA accuses the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Zapatero of making a huge mistake by abandoning the negotiation process. It accuses the Spanish government of trying to weaken the pro independence movement, rather than looking for a meaningful solution to the conflict.
By imposing a state of exception against the Basque Country, the Labour government has become as bad as its predecessors Jose Maria Aznar and Felipe Gonzalez. In the name of Spanish unity, anything is valid against independence.
ETA says that, following Zapatero’s victory in the March elections, he now has to look at the conflict in the Basque Country, because ETA will stay there as long as the conflict is not resolved. ETA makes it very clear that the Spanish state will not have political stability or peace until the right to self determination and territoriality are acknowledged in the Basque Country.
-After 27 years on the run Basque political refugee Patxi Otaegi, aged 87, died last week in the north of the Basque Country from a heart attack..
On Saturday his remains were brought back to his home town in the south of the Basque Country were hundreds of people took part in a popular homage.
At a highly emotional tribute-rally he was remembered for his commitment, developing the pro-independence movement in his home village and then for his firm beliefs and comradeship while on the run in the north of the Basque Country. While in the north he was attacked by the pro-Spanish paramilitaries and saw the killings of many of his comrades in the early 80’s.
During the commemoration, the banner that was put on stage alongside his remains said “Patxi, the best homage is victory”.
He is the second Basque political escapee to die this year away from home.
Around 2,000 Basque people are currently on the run due to Spanish and French repression.
-The leadership of the largest Basque trade union ELA has criticized the so called Basque Nationalist Party/PNV’s current position..
For the last months the PNV has been trying to reach an agreement with the Spanish government ruling Labour Party in an attempt to continue in power as usual, without resolving the political conflict.
The leader of the Trade union ELA has defended the need for all Basque nationalists to stand together in favour of a self determination platform.
In a similar way Batasuna, the pro-independence party that is currently banned, has criticized the Basque Nationalist Party by saying that after 30 years in power in the local government they haven’t done anything to resolve the conflict in terms of self determination. They have added that the PNV has not even responded to the proposal put forward by the pro-independence movement which looks at a united southern Basque Country with autonomy including the self determination right.
According to Batasuna the Basque Nationalist Party is in the middle of a structural crisis and doesn’t have anything to offer to the Basque people.
Pro-independence trade union LAB’s leader has also spoken in favour of unifying forces in favour of independence. He has said that resisting is not enough. It is essential to go further, to advance and to define the steps and strategies.
LAB’s leader has asked the Spanish government to use their new four year govwernment term to solve the conflict through dialogue and negotiation.
A highly significant example of the Basque Nationalist Party’s current position came up last week. Bilbao’s PNV mayor Inaki Azkuna put up the Spanish flag outside the city hall. A move that has been heavily critiziced by many.
The pro-independence movement denounced that this didn’t happen since Franco times 33 years ago. 26 years ago the Spanish police did the same and every year since then the so called “war of flags” has provoqued huge riots.
Hundreds of people took part at a demonstration in Bilbao last Saturday to protest against the imposition of the Spanish flag.
At the end of the march representatives of the pro-independence movement said that once again it’s been showed that the so called Basque Nationalist Party is nothing else than a puppet in the hands of the Spanish government.
Pro-Spanish politicians said that the same will happen soon in Donostia/San Sebastian.
ARRESTS / REPRESSION.
-Two Basque young people stood yesterday in a trial because they refused to consent to a DNA test. The two youths were arrested in the north of the Basque country by the French police while doing a graffiti in favour of Basque political prisoners.
The anti-repression group Askatasuna denounced the fact that these kind of tests were introduced with the excuse of being used in sexual attack cases but it has now being used against political opposition.
- The Basque Spanish police arrests 3 young people in the province of Gipuzkoa for taking part in street riots last October when the Spanish fascists came to Donostia/San Sebastian.
On Saturday 3 young people were arrested in different parts of Gipuzkoa. The arrests were in connection with street riots that took place last 12th of October when the Spanish Fascists decided to come to Donostia / San Sebastian as a show of strength. Basque young people took to the streets and rioted against the fascists causing over 100.000 euro worth damages according to Donostia City Council.
The 3 arrested were brought in front of the judge who charged them with public disorder.
The anti repression group Askatasuna, denounced these arrests and accused the Basque Spanish police of protecting and defending fascists when they come to the Basque Country. Fascists who claim to be racists, xenonophobic and Franquist. The Basque Spanish police defend fascists and oppress people in favour of independence, according to Askatasuna.
- The Spanish labour party wants Basque prisoners to rot in prison.
According to the anti repressive group Askatasuna, the PSOE is doing everything in its power to prevent Basque political prisoners from being released and to extend their sentences to spend life in prison.
That’s the case of Fernando Etxegarai, who was released in January of this year after being in jail for over 20 years. The Spanish authorities have now released an arrest warrant against him as they have decided to extend his sentence by 4 more years. According to Fernando Etxeragarai that is pure judiciary cruelty. This new policy has so far been applied to 26 Basque political prisoners.
Askatasuna denounced such prison policies, which aim to destroy the collective of prisoners and physically destroy its members. To protest against such policies, Askatasuna called on Basque citizens to demonstrate and mobilise over the weekend.
On Sunday citizens from Plentzia, Fernando Etxegarai’s home town, demonstrated to demand the end of life imprisonment for Basque prisoners. They showed solidarity with Fernando.
-The pro-independence movement in Leitza, 30 kilometres from Irunea/Pamplona, denounced the last Spanish police occupation of the town last week.
About a dozen of jeeps helped by many foot-patrol took over the town for one hour, harassing and identifying citizens in the streets.
The pro-independence movement said that it is clear who uses weapons to create fear among the civil population.
- Offices of the Basque Nationalist party has been attacked with Molotov cocktails and paints.
On Saturday night in Bilbo the office of the PNV was attacked as well as a cash machine causing material damages.
In Markina a small town in Bizkaia, another PNV office got attacked when strangers threw paint against the office. The attackers also graffitied “PNV let the Basque young people alone.”
OTHER.
- The town of Durango, commemorates the dead of 1937.
71 years ago last Monday, the town centre of Durango was bombed by Italian fascist planes.
On March 31st 1937 after the Spanish fascist coup against the republicans, Italian fascist released by air 11 tonnes of explosives in Durango causing nearly 300 deaths.
In the cemetery of Durango in front of the remembrance garden, citizens of Durango, commemorated the dead last Monday. They held a minute silence and laid reiths.
The mayor of Durango, highlighted the need for peace and reconciliation. Apart from remembering the dead he thought that such events can make young generations aware of past atrocities.
-The French State discriminates against minorities.
In a report carried out by United Nation experts regarding minorities, the commission has noted that the French State does not respect the cultural and language rights of minorities. According to the report, minority communities are victims of serious racial discrimination which is ingrained in mentalities and institutions. Therefore it has demanded to the French government to study the report and to adopt appropriate measures to redress the situation.
Paul Bilbao Director of the Basque Language Rights Watchdog said that this report is a huge slap in the Face for the French government. In the name of the French core values of freedom, equality and brotherhood huge differences are created and the rights of minorities are not respected. Bilbao has seen the report as very positive.
-The last worlwide controversy around the Olympic Games in China and the repression in Tibet has shown once again that the Basque conflict is part of the international agenda.
Hein Verbruggen, the President of the International Olympic
Committee's Co-ordination Commission, compared the issue of Tibetan independence to the independence movement in the Basque Country at a conference in Beijing on Thursday.
The statement was made to illustrate the point that the International Olympic Committee should not be involved in politics, and that it could not rule out a country's application to host the games because the country had
internal problems.
Verbruggen said that "in spite of all the criticism we get, I am not afraid to tell you that we will not speak out on political issues. If we look at the candidates for 2016, would the IOC be forced or obliged to speak out because Madrid is a candidate and the requests of the Basques to be independent from Spain?
-After 27 years on the run Basque political refugee Patxi Otaegi, aged 87, died last week in the north of the Basque Country from a heart attack.
-The leadership of the largest Basque trade union ELA has criticized the so called Basque Nationalist Party/PNV’s current position.
-Arrests/Repression.
-Other
NEWS
- Only self determination can bring real political change in the Basque Country, says ETA..
In its last statement ETA takes responsibility for the last 5 actions, including the killing of the Spanish Labour Party member Isaias Carrasco, who was killed on the eve of the March elections. The armed group also takes responsibility for the car bomb attack that destroyed the Spanish police station of Calahorra, as well as the explosions against courts and broadcasting aerials.
According to ETA, as long as the right to decide and territoriality are denied to Basque people there will not be any peace in the Spanish State.
In its statement ETA accuses the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Zapatero of making a huge mistake by abandoning the negotiation process. It accuses the Spanish government of trying to weaken the pro independence movement, rather than looking for a meaningful solution to the conflict.
By imposing a state of exception against the Basque Country, the Labour government has become as bad as its predecessors Jose Maria Aznar and Felipe Gonzalez. In the name of Spanish unity, anything is valid against independence.
ETA says that, following Zapatero’s victory in the March elections, he now has to look at the conflict in the Basque Country, because ETA will stay there as long as the conflict is not resolved. ETA makes it very clear that the Spanish state will not have political stability or peace until the right to self determination and territoriality are acknowledged in the Basque Country.
-After 27 years on the run Basque political refugee Patxi Otaegi, aged 87, died last week in the north of the Basque Country from a heart attack..
On Saturday his remains were brought back to his home town in the south of the Basque Country were hundreds of people took part in a popular homage.
At a highly emotional tribute-rally he was remembered for his commitment, developing the pro-independence movement in his home village and then for his firm beliefs and comradeship while on the run in the north of the Basque Country. While in the north he was attacked by the pro-Spanish paramilitaries and saw the killings of many of his comrades in the early 80’s.
During the commemoration, the banner that was put on stage alongside his remains said “Patxi, the best homage is victory”.
He is the second Basque political escapee to die this year away from home.
Around 2,000 Basque people are currently on the run due to Spanish and French repression.
-The leadership of the largest Basque trade union ELA has criticized the so called Basque Nationalist Party/PNV’s current position..
For the last months the PNV has been trying to reach an agreement with the Spanish government ruling Labour Party in an attempt to continue in power as usual, without resolving the political conflict.
The leader of the Trade union ELA has defended the need for all Basque nationalists to stand together in favour of a self determination platform.
In a similar way Batasuna, the pro-independence party that is currently banned, has criticized the Basque Nationalist Party by saying that after 30 years in power in the local government they haven’t done anything to resolve the conflict in terms of self determination. They have added that the PNV has not even responded to the proposal put forward by the pro-independence movement which looks at a united southern Basque Country with autonomy including the self determination right.
According to Batasuna the Basque Nationalist Party is in the middle of a structural crisis and doesn’t have anything to offer to the Basque people.
Pro-independence trade union LAB’s leader has also spoken in favour of unifying forces in favour of independence. He has said that resisting is not enough. It is essential to go further, to advance and to define the steps and strategies.
LAB’s leader has asked the Spanish government to use their new four year govwernment term to solve the conflict through dialogue and negotiation.
A highly significant example of the Basque Nationalist Party’s current position came up last week. Bilbao’s PNV mayor Inaki Azkuna put up the Spanish flag outside the city hall. A move that has been heavily critiziced by many.
The pro-independence movement denounced that this didn’t happen since Franco times 33 years ago. 26 years ago the Spanish police did the same and every year since then the so called “war of flags” has provoqued huge riots.
Hundreds of people took part at a demonstration in Bilbao last Saturday to protest against the imposition of the Spanish flag.
At the end of the march representatives of the pro-independence movement said that once again it’s been showed that the so called Basque Nationalist Party is nothing else than a puppet in the hands of the Spanish government.
Pro-Spanish politicians said that the same will happen soon in Donostia/San Sebastian.
ARRESTS / REPRESSION.
-Two Basque young people stood yesterday in a trial because they refused to consent to a DNA test. The two youths were arrested in the north of the Basque country by the French police while doing a graffiti in favour of Basque political prisoners.
The anti-repression group Askatasuna denounced the fact that these kind of tests were introduced with the excuse of being used in sexual attack cases but it has now being used against political opposition.
- The Basque Spanish police arrests 3 young people in the province of Gipuzkoa for taking part in street riots last October when the Spanish fascists came to Donostia/San Sebastian.
On Saturday 3 young people were arrested in different parts of Gipuzkoa. The arrests were in connection with street riots that took place last 12th of October when the Spanish Fascists decided to come to Donostia / San Sebastian as a show of strength. Basque young people took to the streets and rioted against the fascists causing over 100.000 euro worth damages according to Donostia City Council.
The 3 arrested were brought in front of the judge who charged them with public disorder.
The anti repression group Askatasuna, denounced these arrests and accused the Basque Spanish police of protecting and defending fascists when they come to the Basque Country. Fascists who claim to be racists, xenonophobic and Franquist. The Basque Spanish police defend fascists and oppress people in favour of independence, according to Askatasuna.
- The Spanish labour party wants Basque prisoners to rot in prison.
According to the anti repressive group Askatasuna, the PSOE is doing everything in its power to prevent Basque political prisoners from being released and to extend their sentences to spend life in prison.
That’s the case of Fernando Etxegarai, who was released in January of this year after being in jail for over 20 years. The Spanish authorities have now released an arrest warrant against him as they have decided to extend his sentence by 4 more years. According to Fernando Etxeragarai that is pure judiciary cruelty. This new policy has so far been applied to 26 Basque political prisoners.
Askatasuna denounced such prison policies, which aim to destroy the collective of prisoners and physically destroy its members. To protest against such policies, Askatasuna called on Basque citizens to demonstrate and mobilise over the weekend.
On Sunday citizens from Plentzia, Fernando Etxegarai’s home town, demonstrated to demand the end of life imprisonment for Basque prisoners. They showed solidarity with Fernando.
-The pro-independence movement in Leitza, 30 kilometres from Irunea/Pamplona, denounced the last Spanish police occupation of the town last week.
About a dozen of jeeps helped by many foot-patrol took over the town for one hour, harassing and identifying citizens in the streets.
The pro-independence movement said that it is clear who uses weapons to create fear among the civil population.
- Offices of the Basque Nationalist party has been attacked with Molotov cocktails and paints.
On Saturday night in Bilbo the office of the PNV was attacked as well as a cash machine causing material damages.
In Markina a small town in Bizkaia, another PNV office got attacked when strangers threw paint against the office. The attackers also graffitied “PNV let the Basque young people alone.”
OTHER.
- The town of Durango, commemorates the dead of 1937.
71 years ago last Monday, the town centre of Durango was bombed by Italian fascist planes.
On March 31st 1937 after the Spanish fascist coup against the republicans, Italian fascist released by air 11 tonnes of explosives in Durango causing nearly 300 deaths.
In the cemetery of Durango in front of the remembrance garden, citizens of Durango, commemorated the dead last Monday. They held a minute silence and laid reiths.
The mayor of Durango, highlighted the need for peace and reconciliation. Apart from remembering the dead he thought that such events can make young generations aware of past atrocities.
-The French State discriminates against minorities.
In a report carried out by United Nation experts regarding minorities, the commission has noted that the French State does not respect the cultural and language rights of minorities. According to the report, minority communities are victims of serious racial discrimination which is ingrained in mentalities and institutions. Therefore it has demanded to the French government to study the report and to adopt appropriate measures to redress the situation.
Paul Bilbao Director of the Basque Language Rights Watchdog said that this report is a huge slap in the Face for the French government. In the name of the French core values of freedom, equality and brotherhood huge differences are created and the rights of minorities are not respected. Bilbao has seen the report as very positive.
-The last worlwide controversy around the Olympic Games in China and the repression in Tibet has shown once again that the Basque conflict is part of the international agenda.
Hein Verbruggen, the President of the International Olympic
Committee's Co-ordination Commission, compared the issue of Tibetan independence to the independence movement in the Basque Country at a conference in Beijing on Thursday.
The statement was made to illustrate the point that the International Olympic Committee should not be involved in politics, and that it could not rule out a country's application to host the games because the country had
internal problems.
Verbruggen said that "in spite of all the criticism we get, I am not afraid to tell you that we will not speak out on political issues. If we look at the candidates for 2016, would the IOC be forced or obliged to speak out because Madrid is a candidate and the requests of the Basques to be independent from Spain?
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