A press release by the International Basque Organization for Human Rights regarding the attack on the Martin Ugalde Culture Park:
SPANISH NATIONALISTS LASH OUT AT BASQUE CULTURE MOVEMENT, USES TERRORISM AS EXCUSE
This past Thursday, Spanish police raided the offices of the Martin Ugalde Culture Park. This is an office complex, which houses dozens of businesses connected to Basque Culture and is in the center of the push during the last fifteen years to re-integrate the Basque language into Basque society. These businesses are comprised of publishing houses, graphic designers, merchandising and distribution offices and other similar enterprises.
Spanish authorities claim it was done as part of the investigation into the Basque language newspaper, Egunkaria. If you recall, this newspaper was ordered shut down 8 months ago by the Spanish courts after several of it's directors, staff, and others were accused of being a part of the armed group ETA. To this day, three people associated with this case remain in prison with no charges yet filed against them and no concrete evidence being shown as to their guilt.
Just yesterday, the President of the Basque Autonomous Region, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, protested "they have spent eight months and the facts have not been clarified, nor either the serious denunciations of torture and bad treatment that were made. There has been no existence of justice or explanations, and in a democratic system, one is supposed innocent until proven guilty, but the democratic guarantees and the civil and political rights, have suffered".
As for the businesses that were shut down this past Thursday, the directors of these businesses knew they were under scrutiny from the Spanish authorities long before Egunkaria was closed. A year or so before, Spanish authorities tried and failed to close down Basque publishing house Elkarlanean. After the newspaper Egunkaria was shut down, Jose Mari Sors who is director of Elkarlanean, (http://www.elkarlanean.com) publicly stated that his company's offices, books and all accounts were available for the authorities to investigate, as he had nothing to hide. Sors made this offer in writing, to the Courts of the Basque Autonomous Community and Madrid. This was in vain. Today, Jose Mari Sors is sitting in a jail cell in Madrid, held incommunicado for 5 days.
Questions:
Why would the Spanish government rather make a big show of arresting these businessmen and forcibly searching these premises, with 200 Civil Guard officers (!!), when they could have peacefully searched the offices 8 months ago with full cooperation?
Why was this operation carried out on the same day the President of the Autonomous Basque Region was awarding Martin Ugalde the "International Basque" award? Martin Ugalde, a famous historian, is the namesake of the office park under investigation and is also the Honorary President of the newspaper Egunkaria.
Also note that this operation was carried out a week after the director of Egunkaria, Martxelo Otamendi, met with Theo van Boven, the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Otamendi, and others, were interviewed regarding torture done to them while in police custody.
All in all, the facts of this case do not add up. (Actually, there are few facts, but many accusations) There are too many questions about the timing and methods of the Spanish investigators. Our hope is that journalists will see the abuses occurring in this case and thoroughly investigate these proceedings. This is not likely to occur within Spain, as Aznar's government has too much control over the media, nor will it happen at the hands of a Basque journalist, who would be immediately suspect of terrorist sympathies by virtue of his ethnicity.
It needs to come from the outside. We implore journalists to take a look at the conflict in the Basque country. Look at it fairly and in a balanced manner. Get your news not just from official Spanish sources, but also from Basque human and civil rights organizations, Basque politicians and the Basque people who are involved in these proceedings!
If you have any questions or would like more information, please don't hesitate to contact:
International Basque Organization For Human Rights
PO Box 225
Corte Madera, CA 94976
www.euskojustice.org.... ... .
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