Dispersal's Victims

It is little known around the world but Spain and France punish not only the Basques activists they catch for working in behalf of Euskal Herria's self-determination, they also punish their families with a policy known as "dispersal" which consists on placing the Basque political prisoners as far away from home as possible, a policy that violates Spain's own laws and several international treaties on human rights.

Here you have this report via Behatokia about the casualties caused by this vile policy:

Dispersal policy: tragic list of accidents

There have been 16 serious accidents on the way to weekly visits so far this year

The tragic list of serious road accidents suffered by relatives and friends of Basque political prisoners continues to increase. Although the Basque social and political majority agrees that the policy of dispersal is a breach of jailed people’s rights and is an added punishment for their loved ones, week after week these relatives and friends have to travel hundreds and even thousands of kilometres within the short time period of a weekend. The consequences are dramatic:

16/01/04: on their way to Zuera jail, in Zaragoza, 218 Km away from the Basque Country, Basque prisoner Egoitz Askasibar’s friends had a dramatic accident. The vehicle in front of them suddenly breaked –the driver gave a positive when he was breathalysed- and they crashed into it.

25/05/04: Basque prisoner Ramón López’s wife and sister had an accident on their way to Alcalá Meco Jail -1,000 Km there and back. Although they were not hurt, the material damage was important. This prisoner’s Vis a Vis (conjugal) visits have been changed to weekdays, which makes it difficult for his loved ones to attend; they have to take days off work, etc.

29/05/04: Ibai Aiensa’s sister and a friend had a serious accident on their way back from the visit in Alcalá Meco jail. Due to the accident, they were taken to Tutera hospital; his sister has a contraction in her back and a sprain in the cervical area.

29/05/04: four friends of prisoner Jon Mintegiaga had an accident on their way home after a visit in Alcalá Meco. The car was a write-off and the four friends who sustained bruising, had to travel home by taxi.

30/05/04: after visiting Basque prisoner Estanis Etxaburu in Granada –the jail is 903 Km from the Basque Country- two of his friends had an accident near Somosierra, Madrid.

05/06/04: two friends of prisoner Alberto Rei had an accident at 05.30 in the morning on their way to Uzerche jail, in France -820 Km from the Basque Country- where he is being held. They still managed to make it to the visit.

13/06/04: José Mari Tokero’s relatives had an accident at around eight in the morning on their way to the visit in Teruel jail. As a consequence, an ambulance had to take them to Teruel hospital and the car was written off. They all sustained extensive bruising and three of them are still recovering from various injuries in hospital.

Leo Esteban, another victim of dispersal

He died due to the serious wounds he suffered in an accident.

Dispersal has terrible consequences, further than a list or statistics on the accidents. Family members and friends suffer sequels they carry with them for the rest of their lives.

This was Leo Esteban’s case, Basque prisoner Esteban Esteban Nieto’s brother. He died on June 3rd after a fifteen year struggle with nineteen operations on his legs and two more on his hips. Leo Esteban had an accident on April 3 1989, in Jaen, on his way to Puerto de Santa María jail –in Cádiz- over 1,000 Km away from the Basque Country; “I didn’t pass out at any moment, I felt an awful pain in my leg. When I sat up I saw my leg was hanging off a strip of flesh.”

His brother Esteban had a terminal illness –another example of the terrible consequences of the policy of dispersal, lack of healthcare-. He was released on April 1999 and would die shortly, on 26 September that same year due to the terminal illness he had been developing for years in jail.

In an emotional press conference, Leo and Esteban’s family wondered “where is the resolution against dispersal the Basque parliament passed?”; “it would appear we, the relatives, do not exist; we are made of stone, we have no parents, no brothers and sisters”. The truth is that this brutal policy continues to claim lives in silence.

Statements by the new Spanish director of Instituciones Penitenciarias

Mercedes Gallizo, the new director of Instituciones Penitenciarias (prisons), stated that the PSOE government is not going to “rethink” the policy of dispersal and that it does not plan to “change the agreements we have on this issue”.

The Justice Councillor of the Regional Basque Government stated he found it “hard to understand” for a party that calls itself progressive and left wing (the PSOE) to maintain a “vindictive” penitentiary policy. According to the Councillor “once they have been sentenced, they have their punishment from the judges, and the policy of dispersal obliges families and friends to travel hundreds of kilometres”.

In addition, the organisation Etxerat gave a press conference to express their anger at Gallizo’s statements “this means we have to continue taking part in a macabre lottery that in 2004 has already produced 73 people injured on the road. Gallizo has in effect said they will continue to pass death sentences on us”. Relatives and friends of Basque prisoners who have had accidents, some of them with visible sequels, took part in the press conference. The Etxerat representatives remembered how it was the PSOE that designed the penitentiary policy whereby there are currently only 11 Basque prisoners out of over 700 who are in jails in the Basque Country.
Telematic control during parole

Manu Azkarate was jailed again last February after 12 years parole or conditional release due to his suffering a serious and incurable illness. This incident was controversial because of the arbitrary assessment of parole criteria made by Central Penitentiary Vigilance Court judge, Javier Gómez Bermúdez. The judge himself decided to concede the third degree to the prisoner in may, acknowledging his poor health condition. Nevertheless, he attempted too impose an unprecedented condition: Manu having to wear a telematic wristband at all times in order to watch him the whole time.

Although the Public Prosecution stated that “this a manifestly and evidently seriously ill person” and the judge himself admitted that “Azkarate was involved in no criminal activities whatsoever during the 12 years under conditional release and, due to his illness, he is hardly dangerous and would have serious difficulties to commit a crime”, the judge insisted on the condition of carrying the electronic waistband or another similar measure. Manu Azkarate rejected the measure “for dignity; I have the right to be released, but not at any price”.

Finally, on June 17, the judge changed his demands and Manu Azkarate was released from Alcalá Meco jail –in Madrid, 500 Km away from the Basque Country- having undertaken the commitment to appear to sign his name every day from Monday to Saturday at the nearest Ertzaintza station.

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