Lariz Back to Uruguay

Spain has been trying to export its repression of those Basques who support the right to the self-determination of Euskal Herria to different Latin American countries.

A few days ago I described the situation in which five Basques and a Mexican of Basque background are today due to an extradition request by Madrid, they accuse them of belonging to ETA for which all what the Spaniards have showed as evidence is a copy of a blurry document.

Well, in South America they tried the same, against Josú Lariz Iriondo.

Three times they tried, and three times the justice systems in Uruguay and Argentina found no reason to extradite Lariz Iriondo to Spain, mostly because as a political refugee, they considered rather dangerous to send him to a state where the practice of torture runs rampant.

Berria informs us today that Lariz Iriondo is now free to go back to Uruguay, a country that welcomed him almost 20 years ago.

Here you have the article:

Uruguayan Government authorises Lariz’s return to country

The Elgoibar (Gipuzkoa)-born refugee was deported to Argentina in 2002 after living in Uruguay for sixteen years, and has not been allowed to return until now

Gurutze Izagirre – DONOSTIA (San Sebastian)

After living in Uruguay for 16 years and then being deported, the Basque refugee Josu Lariz will now be able to return to the country. On Monday the Uruguayan President Tavare Vazquez and the Interior Minister Jose Diaz signed a decree authorising this. In 2002 Lariz was deported to Argentina where he was arrested. Last year he was released after a trial on a request for him to be extradited to Spain, but he was not allowed to return to Uruguay. Since then he has been in Argentina without documents.

While the Uruguayan government is dealing with the paperwork, it was decided that Lariz should be provided with a temporary identity card to enable him to travel to Uruguay. The Spanish Government has requested his extradition three times: the Uruguayan Government was approached once and the Argentine Government twice. Moreover, he was arrested in Uruguay three times. Spain has accused him of taking part in an attack in 1984. On each occasion the request for his extradition was examined, but his defence counsel and the prosecution said that the time for bringing prosecution had lapsed. The Argentine prosecutor even went as far as describing the request for extradition as a “scandal”, and if it were granted, then all guarantees would have to be demanded of the Spanish Government. The defence counsel warned of the risk of torture and suffering persecution.

Good for Josú, now all we can hope is that Mexico's Supreme Court shows the same degree of sovereignty and justice and that the six are finally allowed to go back to their families and friends.

.... ... .