PLEASE FORWARD THIS INFORMATION TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS AND HELP US TO BREAK THE WALL OF SILENCE BUILD BY THE SPANISH AND FRENCH STATES AGAINST THE BASQUE STRUGGLE FOR PEACE, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND FREEDOM.
-28/5 . Otegi: “Jailing me won’t change the commitment in favour of a resolution”
“I thought I was going to be stuck here for at least two years.” These were Otegi’s first comments as he emerged through the gates of the prison. He was speaking about what went through his mind when he heard the grounds presented by the Public Prosecutor in the Spanish National Criminal Court to request that he be unconditionally remanded in custody. “It was clear that the grounds were not juridical ones and I thought I’d be behind bars for a longish stretch.” Next to the prison car park shortly after his release he issued a clear message. “What has happened to me is in no way going to change the political course of the Basque nationalist left.”
When he appeared in front of dozens of reporters and cameras to make some comments, he said Batasuna would be sticking to its commitment in favour of a resolution [of the Basque conflict]. He referred to the Anoeta Proposal and said, just as he did at the time, that the Basque nationalist left would continue to be committed to democratic solutions and dialogue to resolve the conflict. “Whatever position is adopted by the Public Prosecutor and the National Criminal Court and even if they put me behind bars, the commitment made by the Basque nationalist left to peace, democracy and a resolution of the conflict will not change.”
He appealed for help in this endeavour “from all the people of the [Spanish] State and from the Basque Country, in particular”. He urged people to join the demo scheduled to take place in Bilbo a week today in support of the slogan Orain herria, orain bakea (The People now, Peace now). “In this situation we all need to push for a dialogue process to be started to achieve peace, democracy and self-determination once and for all.”During the first few minutes after his release Otegi spoke about the other prisoners: the Basque political prisoners and the ordinary prisoners. Keeping the promise he made to the ordinary prisoners, in front of dozens of cameras he condemned the situation the prisoners were enduring, and, in particular, what the prisoners held in solitary confinement were going through. During the two days he was in Soto del Real prison he had the chance to experience at first hand what it means to be kept in solitary confinement. He was keen to speak about the repression and violation of rights that go on in the solitary blocks. He deplored the fact that there was no medical service and that the social and education workers did not even show up at the solitary blocks.
-2/6 . Electronic Bugs found at the Bayonne party offices of Batasuna
The press conference at the pary's offices here was called to denounce the electronic surveillance of their political party HQ – with Mr Larralde holding up black wiring and the rest of the bugging paraphernalia (two microphones, two aerials and two transmitters connected to a transformer) for all to see.
In a statement, Joseba Permach, Co-ordinator for Batasuna’s National Committee, emphasised that it was not the first time they had been victims of espionage. Up to recently the office was used by the MEP for the EH party, Koldo Gorostiaga. Batasuna is to take legal action over the incident in coming weeks.
Permach denounced that, in the last weeks and months, the French State had embarked on what appeared to be «qualitative steps» in a strategy of confrontation against Batasuna and the ezker abertzale (the Left Basque Nationalist Movement) and called for the French Government «to halt this repression and take steps on the road to a political solution to the conflict». He stated that «Batasuna restates the Anoeta proposal and recalled that the proposal has been sent to the Presidents of both States (France and Spain)».
In March 1998ko CESID (the Spanish Secret Service) was found spying on the HB party headquarters in the Basque capital of Gasteiz. The Araba (Basque Country) District Assizes sentenced two CESID chiefs to three years imprisonment for illegal bugging, a ruling that was subsequently overturned by Spanish.
-3/6 . Irantzu Abad in coma after accident returning from Special High Court
Irantzu Abad is unconscious in a coma in Madrid’s La Paz hospital. She has a skull fracture and the resulting pressure has caused haemorrhaging. Yesterday evening the 27-year-old was said to be in a serious condition, according to the medical report. She is being treated at the Intensive Care Unit in Madrid. The day before yesterday she had been returning to the Basque Country after attending the trial of her partner, Jorge Uruñuela, at the Spanish Special High Court in Madrid, when the car she was travelling in was involved in a serious accident when it overturned. Her mother, Pili Iglesias, and another friend of the Basque prisoner, were also injured. They both checked out of the hospital yesterday afternoon after being treated for their injuries. The prisoners’ organisation Etxerat and various local groups denounced the situation of the dispersal of Basque prisoners far from their home country and the high risk incurred on the roads for their family members and other loved ones visiting them.
-3/6. Over past two years 24 telephones of LAB members tapped
For the past two years leadings members of LAB have been victims of spying by the Spanish Police, with warrants from the Spanish Special High Court. Judge Baltasar Garzon provided warrants for the secret surveillance of at least 24 telephones numbers by the Spanish Police’s Central Intelligence Unit (UCI). Of these three were used by the Union’s General Secretary, Rafa Diez, another two were at LAB’s offices in the Basque Country capital of Gasteiz and another 19 used by various leading and past members. Availing of a UCI report, Garzon launched the operation on 27 June 2003 to investigate any relationship between the Union and the «the network led by ETA-Ekin», according to LAB. UCI requested the tap warrants from the judge and, subsequently, the permission for electronic eavesdropping was extended.
The LAB Secretary appeared before the press yesterday, together with lawyer, Iñigo Iruin, who denounced that «the moves against the political-social structure of the Basque Independentist Left Movement follows the same schema as previous indictments aimed at the Basque Left, using «UCI reports and telephone taps». The moves, according to Rafa Diez, represent the «last link» in the chain of operations against the Basque Left initiated by the previous Spanish Government under Jose Maria Aznar. The LAB General Secretary made a «clear call» to the President of the Spanish Government, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, that it was «time to deactivate the political inheritance of the PP and high time to drop political witch hunts».
4/6. Jon Idigoras dies
Jon Idigoras, the famous militant of the Basque nationalist left, has passed away while maintaining the same coherence and strength of will he displayed throughout his life. He was calm, at peace with himself and proud of the way of life he had pursued; he had done what he had to do and had said what he had to say.
He was 69 in May and at 11.45 yesterday died as a result of a long illness in the San Sebastian Hospital in Bilbo. He had been there for nearly a month since he was admitted there on May 7 in a very serious condition. He had been suffering from emphysema for many years. He had severe breathing problems that affected his whole body. He was very weak and was admitted to hospital for the last time suffering from pneumonia as a result of a lack of bodily defences. Yet his brain was absolutely clear up until the last moment. He knew he was very ill and that he was going to die soon. On Monday he somehow sensed that he only had a few more hours left to live and called the people closest to him to his bedside: his brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews and Batasuna leaders. He wanted to bid farewell and give advice to each one. He told his relatives to look after each other and gave members of the party’s National Executive Committee encouragement to go on. “He told us he had fulfilled his obligations and asked us to carry on in the same direction,” explained Eusebio Lasa, one of the committee members.
Idigoras said it was a vitally important moment for the Basque Country, it was necessary to take advantage of the situation and the Basque nationalist left was moving in the right direction. He called on them to act prudently in the face of the obstacles they were going to come up against.
Idigoras died at peace with himself, having fulfilled what he had set out for himself all his life; he had the sensation that he had completed his work and did not cease conducting a political analysis right up until the last moment. He wanted to have a clear head until the final moment and that was the case. He refused to take the painkillers every two hours as the doctors had prescribed for him, because he did not want to lose consciousness. This was because he wanted to take advantage of the final moments. Although there was discretion surrounding the seriousness of his condition, Idigoras saw everyone who had found out and who wanted to visit him in hospital. He did not keep quiet in their presence.
-5/6. Batasuna keen to see table of parties formed by next Easter
Thousands of citizens proclaimed ‘The people now, peace now’ in the streets of Bilbo
Saturday’s march organised by Batasuna with the slogan Orain herria orain bakea (The people now, peace now) set off along the streets of Bilbo amid applause from numerous citizens and ended in the same way. The banner that led it was carried by members of Batasuna’s executive committee, relatives of Jon Idigoras and members of the Pro Amnesty Movement. The clapping at the start was for them; long rounds of applause interspersed with shouts of encouragement. The applause at the end was for the new challenge that Batasuna has set itself. For the words spoken by Arnaldo Otegi from the city hall: “We want the Table for Resolving the Basque Conflict set up by the next Aberri Eguna and we will do all we can to meet that objective.”
In front of thousands of people who had filled the square and bridge opposite the city hall Otegi made this commitment; “with revolutionary integrity” he was providing the people with the opportunity to express its view.
Otegi did however feel that the people were needed in order to achieve what was going to constitute “a new phase” in solving the conflict and in reaching a stage full of “firm commitments and content”. So he was asking the people to make a commitment. “Peace is a vitally important aim, too important to leave in the hands of the political classes. The politicians have clearly shown that they do not have what it takes to respond to the needs of the situation.” The thousands of people gathered in Bilbo responded to Otegi’s request with a round of applause. The members of Batasuna’s executive committee, with the photo of Jon Idigoras before them, expressed total confidence in the people: “the Basque nationalist left will not let you down, the citizens won’t let you down, the people won’t let you down”.
Otegi said a commitment is needed now to solve the conflict. He felt that the issues, the three problems which needed addressing were clear: “The solution has to be democratic and for the whole of Euskal Herria. The whole of Euskal Herria has to have the right to self-determination; the issues have to be addressed by all of us throughout Euskal Herria”. “So the process will start moving, despite the obstacles,” he reiterated.
He also spoke about the “thirst for revenge and cruelty” of the Spanish and French governments as he recalled the condition of Irantzu Abad. He spoke about the dispersal of Basque prisoners. About the political use of the dispersal and about the “thirst for revenge”.
-8/6. Unai Romano insists Spanish Civil Guard tortured him
“The Spanish Civil Guard tortured me in September 2001; I am not going to change a single comma in my testimony.” Thus spoke the young Unai Romano yesterday in a press briefing together with the Anti-Torture Group (TAT) on the dropping of his torture complaint. Romano stressed that he was standing totally by the torture complaint he made at the time and said it was “absolutely disgraceful” that the file on his complaint should be closed.
The young man pointed out that the Spanish Civil Guard had arrested him, held him incommunicado and had tortured him. “They made me believe they had killed my mother, my head was burning, it was very swollen… I couldn’t see a thing. They drove me to the brink and I tried to bite the arteries in my wrists to put an end to the torment,” he said. While he was being held incommunicado he had told the court appointed doctor the same thing three times. In the presence of the first judge he denounced what he had been put through. “The judge told me that he had been working with the Spanish Civil Guard for years and that he did not believe me, and told me to take the matter to court.” Romano also denounced the court appointed doctor for saying that he [Romano] did not display the attitude of having been tortured. “What kind of attitude was I supposed to display to show that I had been tortured, when in Spain no one is tortured in theory?”
-9/6. 25 years on relatives believe BVE got rid of Naparra
“9,131 days of suffering. That’s enough”. That was all Eneko Etxeberria, the brother of Jose Migel Etxeberria aka Naparra, said yesterday. The day after tomorrow it will be 25 years since Eneko last saw his brother. Naparra had been a member of the Autonomous Commandos (Basque pro-independence and anticapitalist armed organization) and was a refugee in the Northern Basque Country. The last time they saw him was on June 11, 1980. Shortly after he disappeared the Batallón Vasco Español-BVE (Spanish death squad) made calls to the newspapers Deia and Egin claiming responsibility for kidnapping and killing him. No body has been produced. In order to put an end to the suffering the family is desperate to find the remains. That was the emotional appeal from Naparra’s relatives yesterday.
The lawyer Iñigo Iruin, who has been acting in the Naparra case, reiterated that this was a priority for the relatives. Iruin was also in no doubt as to who could provide information on the case. “We know that people in high positions in the Spanish State’s intelligence and information services 25 years ago could provide vital information on what became of Naparra”. Iruin said this during a press conference in Donostia (San Sebastian) yesterday. Nevertheless, they appealed to anyone who might have information that could help to locate Naparra’s remains to get in touch with the family or with Iruin.
The investigations to find Naparra’s remains have in fact been halted, because Ismael Moreno, the Spanish National Criminal Court judge, decided to close the file on the case on October 4 last year. The most surprising and exasperating thing for the relatives is the reason Moreno put forward for closing the case.
On behalf of the Pro-Amnesty Movement Jon Esparantza shared the view of Naparra’s relatives. “It was the result of the dirty war”. He went on to denounce the responsibility of the Spanish State. He put what happened to Naparra in the context of the conflict in the Basque Country. In this respect, he called on the Spanish Government to open the doors for resolving the conflict by showing respect towards the victims: “We are calling for the implementing of a solution based on remembrance, truth and justice.”
-10/6 . Basque Confederation calls on France not to attack Basque language
It has spoken to the Public Institution for the Basque Language and the French Government asking them to stop riding roughshod over the Basque language and adopt measures to denounce this Euskal Konfederazioa (The Basque Confederation) is concerned and angry. Angry, because it feels that the French Government fails to respect language rights. It has made a direct appeal to the new French government to abandon this course and to make a language policy in favour of the Basque language a priority. Not just with words, but with actions, too. It has also appealed to the EEP-Euskara Erakunde Publikoa (Public Institution for the Basque Language), which is responsible for language policy in the Northern Basque Country, to denounce infringements of language rights.
-11/6.ETA grenade attack on Zaragoza airport
One grenade exploded without injuring anyone, but some flights were suspended . Someone phoning on behalf of ETA contacted the newspaper Gara and the DYA roadside assistance organisation, and the attack occurred an hour later. No one was injured in the blast.
-15/6. Release of four arrested in swoops on Pro-Amnesty Committees
In the indictment the Public Prosecutor had requested 10-year prison terms for each of the 27 people facing charges.
Julen Zelarain, Gorka Zulaika, Josu Beaumont and Iñaki Reta were released yesterday after posting bail amounting to 10,000 euros each. Zelarain, Zulaika and Beaumont were arrested on October 31, 2001 in a police operation ordered by Judge Baltasar Garzon against the Pro-Amnesty Committees (AAB-Amnistiaren Aldeko Batzordeak). In October they would have completed the four-year maximum period for being remanded in custody.
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