In Favour Of The Political Prisoners

Is good to be in Euskal Herria visiting friends, but what makes it even better is to learn that the Basque society has a positive outlook regarding the Basque political prisoners.

This note appeared today at EITb:

University research

Favourable opinion on Basque prisoners' reintegration rises

08/04/2006

A research points out that a 41 percent of citizens is in favour or prisoners' reinsertion into society, while the percentage in 1996 was of the 33 percent.

The number of Basques who support ETA's prisoners completing their sentences has been reduced to the half in ten years, while the favourable opinion for reintegration into society has risen, also for those who have committed violent crimes.

A periodic research on Basque public opinion carried out by the University of the Basque Country and gathered by Europa Press has analysed the period between 1996-2006. Taking into account the data from May this year, once the cease-fire was declared, a 41 percent of Basque citizens shown their favourable stance to the reinsertion into society of Basque prisoners who have committed no violent crimes if the armed band dumps arms. In turn, a 40 percent shares that opinion but for all ETA prisoners, without exclusion.

As a contrast, the 9 percent of citizens favour the full compliance of sentences, a stance that the 18 percent of Basque society defended ten years ago, in 1996. In turn, from 1996 to 2006 the citizens' support to prisoners' reinsertion increased ten points provided that they have committed no violent crimes.

The stance of those who believe reinsertion must be for every one without exclusion has also risen, since a 33 percent of citizens defended that in 1996, and this year a 40 percent does so.

In the last semester of this year there has been a nine-point advance among those who believe that ETA members who regret what they did and voice their decision to dump arms should benefit from measures of reinsertion into society.

The opinion of those who think these measures should only be applied for those inmates who have committed no violent crimes has also increased two points. Among those who favour the full compliance of sentences there was a nine-point recession within the last six months.

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