Wishy Washy Support for Egunkaria

The organization known as Reporters Without Borders (RSF for its original name in French) is known for being pawns in the geopolitical game played by the extreme right moguls and politicians.

This is why, if you pay attention to the text I reproduce here you will easily see how their demand is not as strong worded as it should be if the government behind the closure of Egunkaria was China or Cuba instead of Spain.

Here you have it:

Spain | 3.04.2008

Justice minister urged to conclude judicial proceedings that have kept Basque daily closed since 2003

Reporters Without Borders calls on the justice minister to conclude the judicial proceedings against the Basque-language newspaper Egunkaria that have resulted in its remaining closed for the past five years because of its alleged illegal links with the Basque armed separatist group ETA.

The newspaper was shut down at the Spanish high court's behest on 20 February 2003, the same day that civil guards arrested 13 journalists and members of its board on suspicion of "the crime of belonging to or collaborating with the terrorist organisation ETA".

On the grounds that the group that owns the newspaper Egunkaria S.A. and Egunkaria Sortzen S.L. pursued the same goals as ETA and helped it by creating front companies, judge Juan del Olmo ordered preventive measures consisting of freezing its assets, suspending its activities and closing its premises. And he has renewed the measures every six months since 21 July 2003.

"The alleged links between certain members of Egunkaria’s staff and ETA have never been demonstrated, despite five years of judicial investigation", Reporters Without Borders said. "The Spanish government’s fight against terrorism is legitimate but it must be done without violating free expression. We point out that Basque journalists are themselves been the victims of an ETA campaign of terror against the media and some of them have been forced to work with bodyguards or to leave the Basque country".

The press freedom organisation added: "We reiterate our concern about Egunkaria’s closure, as it deprives readers of their right to news and information, and we urge justice minister Mariano Fernandez Beremejo to allow the newspaper to reopen and to get the judicial authorities to conduct a trial very soon so that they can finally reach a decision on the substance of the charges".

There are two aspects to Judge Del Olmo's investigation. The main one is Egunkaria‚s alleged links to ETA. The other one is alleged tax fraud.

The 13 people charged in the case are Egunkaria S.A. chairman Joan Mari Torrealdai, Egunkaria S.A. chief executive Iñaki Uria, board of governors secretary Txema Auzmendi, Egunkaria managing editor Martxelo Otamendi, former Egunkaria managing editor Pello Zubiria, former Egunkaria editor Xabier Oleaga, Batasuna party activist Xabier Alegria, Egunkaria S.A. board member Joxe Mari Sors, and four office employees ˆ Ainhoa Albisu, Mikel Sorozabal, Begoña Zubelzu and Fernando Furundarena.

Each of them faces combined sentences of 30 to 40 years in prison and fine of more than 30 million euros.

They are charged with creating an "illegal association" and some of them are also charged with "belonging to a terrorist organisation". They all deny all of the charges and appealed on 29 December 2004 to the second chamber of the Spanish high court. It has not yet issued a ruling on their appeal.

In a report at the end of last year, a committee of international jurists said the disproportionate nature of the newspaper‚s closure and the arrests of the 13 journalists and employees constituted a violation of articles 10 and 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The committee also said article 129.9 permitting the closure of companies, the one used to close Egunkaria, was not applicable to media companies.

Prosecutor Miguel Angel Carballo said in December 2006 that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges against the 13 suspects.

Stressing their commitment to free expression, 70 Spanish parliamentarians urged Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s government to drop the case against Egunkaria on 20 October 2005.

Following Egunkaria’s closure in February 2003, funds raised by means of an appeal led to the creation of another Basque-language daily called Berria in June 2003. It is edited by Martxelo Otamendi and has a circulation of 20,000.

Did you notice?

Not a word about the torture suffered by several members of Egunkaria, including Martxelo Otamendi.

And RSF is supposed to "side" with reporters and journalists all over the world. Yeah, sure.

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Basque Cinema's Day

Puente de la Zurriola y Kursaal
Originally uploaded by Tepanahui

This note was published by EITb:

Zinemaldia

Next 26 of September to celebrate Basque Cinema’s Day

09/18/2007

Celebrated since 1997 in the frame of the Cinema Festival of San Sebastián, the Day of Basque Cinema is a tribute to the film creation in the Basque Country.

This event, organised by IBAIA and the Cinema Festival of San Sebastián, also has the collaboration of EITB, EAB Association of Basque Actors, Culture department of the Basque Government, Basque film library and the Newspaper Berria

The Day of Basque Cinema presents a day dedicated to the promotion and exhibition of the last Basque productions. They are showed in the cinema “Principes”, where works from different genres can be seen: animation, fiction, documentaries, short films and some important contribution from the Basque Film Library.

But, the Day of Basque Cinema is also a meeting day for experts in this area, where they give three awards: IBAIA award, which pays tribute to production and/or audiovisual initiative; and AMALUR award, for important people in this area, which this year AMALUR awards will be for the musician and composer Alberto Iglesias; and finally Berria award, given to the best short film made in Basque language.

~ ~ ~

ETA Speaks Out

This note appeared at the International Herald Tribune, it talks about how Zapatero forgot all about a peace process to bring a political solution to the so called "Basque conflict" and instead applied all the resources of its government to obtain a total victory over ETA, forgetting about his promises and his alleged compromise with his own people.

Here you have the note:

Basque separatist group ETA says it will continue militancy in Spain

The Associated Press
Published: September 9, 2007

Madrid, Spain: The Basque separatist group ETA plans to continue its militant campaign against the Spanish state to promote its political aims, it said in a statement published Sunday.

"ETA will continue to hit against the structures of the Spanish state on all fronts until it can achieve democratic conditions which would allow for the defense of all political projects in the Basque Country," the statement said.

It appeared in the early edition of the Basque newspaper Gara — a publication often used as a conduit for communication by the group — and in the online version of Basque newspaper Berria.

ETA is considered a terrorist organization by Spain, the European Union and the United States.

In the statement, the group claimed responsibility for recent explosions in the town of Belagoa and at the Tour de France cycle race in July and a police station in Durango in August, as well as for a blown-up van in a field in Castellon. It also said its efforts to broker an end to the conflict had failed.

"All of ETA's efforts at the negotiating table to drive forward a resolution process which could answer the rights of the Basque Country have failed," the statement said.

In its first statement since it called off its self-imposed cease-fire, ETA blamed the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero for the breakdown in negotiations, saying the ruling Socialist party was "seeking to deactivate the Basque independence movement."

ETA declared a cease-fire in March 2006 and — despite blowing up a five-story car park at Madrid airport in December — maintained it was still in force until June when it called off the truce.

The statement said Zapatero's approach to Basque separatism had been "devoid of political content, aiming in the end just at defeat."

The Basque Nationalist Party, which rules the region, also faced ETA's anger for trying to "rupture" the nationalist movement.

ETA has often railed against the party, accusing it of not being interested in independence and of giving in to the government.

In June, when the cease-fire was formally called off, ETA blamed the party and the government, for the end of the truce.

In San Sebastian, a northern port city in the Basque Country, regional police on Sunday broke up a rally in support of ETA prisoners and detained several protesters, including Juan Maria Olano, spokesman for the Pro Amnesty movement Askatasuna. Protesters had been warned before the rally that the Interior Ministry had outlawed the demonstration, officials said. One policeman was seriously injured during the arrests, official said.

ETA, whose name stands for Basque Homeland and Freedom, has been waging a violent and explosion-marred campaign that has killed more that 800 people since the late 1960s. Its aim is to carve out an independent Basque state in parts of northern Spain and southwestern France.

Well, I can see that the "800 paragraph" has been reworked to look even more ominous.

~~~

Basque and Welsh

This interesting article about the languages spoken by peoples trapped in the outdated concept of mega-nation comes to us thanks to News Wales:

Basque lesson for Welsh language

3/11/2006

Eleanor Burnham AM returns tomorrow from an official visit to the Basque Country of Spain where she hoped to find new ways to promote and develop the Welsh language at home.

Ms Burnham, a fluent Welsh speaker and Welsh Language Spokesperson for the Welsh Liberal Democrats, arranged her visit in the hope of finding a good example of how minority languages can thrive in smaller countries such as Wales .

Her trip included a variety of visits and influential meetings:

A Meeting with Martxelo Otamendi, Editor of the Basque language newspaper Berria, to discuss the possibility of a national Welsh Language newspaper

A visit to the Basque parliament in the capital Vitoria

Meetings with people involved in the government departments of language and culture to discuss language issues in these areas

A visit to a tri-lingual school as a model for how Welsh language medium education could be developed in the future

Ms Burnham said: "I am so pleased to be visiting a country which, although small in population, has so successfully preserved its own language in everyday life.

"I firmly believe that the future of the Welsh language lies in a rights-based agenda for individuals in Wales and the Basque example provides a multitude of ways in which Welsh could be taken forward in the 21st century.

"I will be completing numerous visits in the fields of culture, language and education with the hope that these models can provide progressive, workable reference points for our own country.

"The future of the Welsh language lies with the rights of the individual and I believe we should be exploring the new avenues opened up by similar countries with minority languages throughout Europe ."

By the way, Basque region of Spain?

Is there a Welsh region of England?

.... ... .

Crisis

Is quite obvious that the Spanish government does not desire a peaceful resolution for the political conflict with Euskal Herria, they've been holding on to the "glory" of their colonialist past at every step of their relationship with the Basque people.

This article published by EITb tells us just how bad the situation is with the present peace process:

Statement

ETA says peace process is now "in a clear situation of crisis''

08/18/2006

The band explicitly referred to the governing party in the Basque Autonomous Region and that in the Spanish State, and warned that "if the attacks continue against Euskal Herria, ETA will respond."

The armed Basque group ETA said Friday that the peace process launched in Spain with its cease-fire declaration five months ago is now in crisis, accusing politicians of delaying steps toward a settlement of the conflict.

The band explicitly referred to Basque Nationalist Party PNV, governing party in the Basque Autonomous Region, and Socialist Party PSOE, governing party in the Spanish State.

In a communiqué issued to Basque Country newspapers Gara and Berria, ETA said the peace process was at an "impasse". It accused the government of hounding Basque nationalist politicians and threatened an unspecified "response" if this continued. "If the attacks continue against Euskal Herria (Basque country in Basque language), ETA will respond," the group said.

Thus, it made a vague warning to "respond" if the Spanish government continues what ETA called repression of Basque pro-independence militants.

In Friday's statement ETA accused the ruling Socialist party and the Basque Nationalist Party, which governs the troubled northern region, of "showing a clear will to delay the steps to be taken.'' Neither party is interested in negotiating any real changes to the Basque country's status within Spain, ETA said. And Zapatero's party just wants to make history by ending the decades-old conflict and is trying to "convert the peace process into a mere tool for staying in power.'' The peace process, it added, "is in a clear situation of crisis,'' the statement said.

ETA also repeated a charge that the Spanish government had agreed to a "cease-fire" of its own in talks leading up to the ETA truce, apparently agreeing to stop arresting ETA members. But the government is not living up to this commitment, ETA charged.

The government has repeatedly denied it made any promises with ETA to elicit the militants' cease-fire, which began in late March.

President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced formally in Parliament in late June that his government would hold talks with ETA on getting it to dissolve. The government is to brief the legislature in September on how the peace process is going. Zapatero has said the process could take years.

ETA has been fighting since the late 1960s in its campaign for a Basque homeland straddling northern Spain and southwest France. Prior to the cease-fire announcement it had not staged a fatal attack since May 2003.

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Kontseilua at Work

This is very important, it has everything to do with ensuring that Euskera has a place in the future.

The note appeared at Berria, here you have it:

Kontseilua urges governments to establish specific aims and deadlines

It has put forward the main guidelines that need to be followed to bring about the normalisation of the Basque language

Asier Iturriagaetxebarria – BILBO (Bilbao)

Kontseilua, the Council of Social Organisations in Favour of the Basque language, yesterday presented a report aimed at guiding the Basque language normalisation process. It includes ten main language policy guidelines that will need to be implemented over the next four years. Kontseilua’s general secretary Xabier Mendiguren explained that these guidelines would need to be applied in order to bring about the normalisation of the language. He added, however, that specific aims and deadlines would have to be added. “Otherwise all that has been achieved so far will not be of any use to normalise our Basque language, and the aims will be postponed sine die.”

He summarised what language policy should be like over the coming years thus: “One which will have specific deadlines and aims, be given the necessary resources, include all departments, be designed in such a way as to reach all sectors of society, it should start from the general administration and permeate right down to local administrations, it will aim to guarantee linguistic rights, be applicable throughout the Basque Country and have an overall perspective”.

Iñaki Lasa, responsible for Kontseilua’s politico-institutional line, complained about the administration’s failure to take effective measures. “Very often Basque speakers are blamed for failing to use the Basque language, but this is unfair, because Basque speakers will not have the chance to use their language if the necessary measures and resources are not in place.”

The report comprises ten proposals:

1) To go beyond the Linguistic models in education to ensure that students are proficient in Basque when they finish their compulsory secondary education.

2) To create a deputy vice-presidency for Basque in the BAC Government.

3) To make the administration Basque-speaking.

4) To make the workplace Basque-speaking.

5) To have laws in favour of the Basque language passed.

6) To expand the teaching of Basque to adults.

7) To establish quotas for the media in accordance with sociolinguistic development.

8) To increase the budget for Basque.

9) To make university education and vocational training Basque-speaking.

10) To draw up an adequate language policy that establishes aims and deadlines and includes all sectors.

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Udalbiltza's Push for Nationhood

Very interesting note, indeed.

Loren Arkotxa, leader of Udalbiltza, the first Basque national institution, told Berria that his organization is ready to present the request for nationhood for Euskal Herria to the UN.

Here you have the note:

Arkotxa: “We are going to proclaim our nationhood in the UN and request that it be recognised”

The Udalbiltza continues its work, difficulties notwithstanding. Its chairman, Loren Arkotxa, is proud of the work it has done and upbeat about the future

Aitziber Laskibar – DURANGO (Bizkaia)

We met Loren Arkotxa (Ondarroa, Bizkaia, 1945) on Spanish Constitution Day (December 6). Before going to the demo called by the Bai Euskal Herriari (Yes to the Basque Country) initiative in Durango, he told us that the demand for Basque nationhood would lead to practical results “sooner rather than later”. That is the context in which the campaign Udalbiltza is due to launch tomorrow is set. They will be requesting that Basque nationhood be recognised in the UN. On the other hand, he is optimistic and hopeful about the resolution of the Basque conflict, even though he reckons he has a “70% chance” of being sent to prison, in view of how the 18/98 is progressing.

Now that the Udalbiltza has been in existence for six years, you have been quoted as saying that one era has come to an end and that another cycle will be starting. What has the past era been and what can one expect of the new one?

The Udalbiltza was founded six years ago. When it was founded, it had to fill many gaps. And these six years have been truly fruitful for the Udalbiltza and, in my view, what the Udalbiltza has given has also been fruitful. In other words, at that time significant players were thin on the ground, although that is not the case today. For instance, the Conflict Resolution Commission and the National Development Council that have been created out of the Forum for National Debate, which has a National Plan today. This has filled many gaps and that is where our work and efforts have been directed from the very start. On the other hand, the Udalbiltza has struck deals to collaborate with many other social players. Even though the public at large has many players, what was needed was one that somehow linked them in a national perspective. And that is why we are saying that a period has somehow been completed. And from now on we will have to pursue other lines. In other words, the Udalbiltza will be moving towards its natural position; in other words, municipal work and the work of municipal elected representatives from the perspective of the whole of Euskal Herria. The Udalbiltza is obviously not an Eudel. It does not simply look to municipalities, but is also an institution to conduct work on a national level for the whole of the Euskal Herria from the town councils. I think the elected municipal representatives are active elements. (…)

.... ... .

Gaur, Euskararen Nazioarteko Eguna

Not being able to speak Euskera, the Basque language, will not stop this blogger from joining the thousands of Basques celebrating its International Day.

Here you have a text by Berria:

Euskararen Eguna da gaurkoa

Eusko Ikaskuntzaren ekimena izan zen abenduaren 3a Euskararen Nazioarteko Egun izendatzea. Zehazki, 1948an Baionako batzarrean hartutakoa. Denbora asko igaro da ordutik, baina oraindik euskarak bultzada handien beharrean segitzen du. Gaur hainbat ekitaldi egingo dira egun hori dela eta, baina handienak atzo egin ziren: Bilboko Erakustazoka zaharrean ekitaldi ofiziala egin zen, agintari ugari han zirela. Eusko Legebiltzarrak, berriz, deklarazio instituzionala onartu zuen euskararen aldeko konpromisoa bereganatuz.

Esan bezala, gaur ere izango dira ekitaldiak. Esate baterako, Bilboko Plaza Barrian euskara ardatz duen jaia egingo da egunean zehar. Gure artean euskaraz jartzen duten eskuturrekoak ere banatuko dituzte. Athleticeko jokalariek, berriz, euskararen aldeko pankarta aterako dute gaurko partidaren hasieran.

Gora Euskal Herria!

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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.

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Civil and Political Rights

There is a very interesting article at Berria today, it provides information about the upcoming trial in the 18/98 Case and the so called "Excercise Book".

Here you have the entire article, is worth reading:

Demand for civil and political rights receives broad support

A thick, colourful, varied ‘Exercise Book’ reached its finishing post and two volumes were needed to include all the contributions

Aitziber Laskibar – DURANGO (Bizkaia)

The hearing in the 18/98 Case is about to start. Within a week 59 Basque citizens will be tried at the Spanish National Criminal Court. The Public Prosecutor is not only requesting 991 years behind bars for the indictees but also the dissolving of certain companies. But the 59 will not be going down to Madrid on their own; they will be going with the support of thousands of citizens. With the words and drawings that have been added to the ‘Exercise Book’ and with the warmth reflected in yesterday’s event in Durango (Bizkaia), which a large crowd turned out for.

After crossing the whole of the Basque Country, the ‘Exercise Book’ was nice and thick by the time it got to Durango. There wasn’t room for the contributions people had added to be fitted into one volume, so more than two were needed. It is thick, colourful and varied. That is the final result of the ‘Exercise Book’. It has become a symbol because many, many Basque citizens feel there has been an abuse of civil and political rights. According to the journalist Mariano Ferrer of the 18/98 + Group, thousands of people have experienced these abuses personally; they feel “involved”. That is why there have been so many “personal and intimate” contributions. Ferrer expressed the view that the public at large had understood that the abuses of civil and political rights affect everyone.

People of many different persuasions have also made their own demands in favour of rights. Proof of this is the origin of those who took part in the initiatives in Durango. The number of people indicted in the cases included in the 19/98+ Group was also clear yesterday. These cases involve over 200 indictees and wherever one looked one could see people facing charges in one case or another. Among those who turned up were Loren Arkotxa and Maribi Ugarteburu of Udalbiltza; Martxelo Otamendi, Iñaki Uria and Joanmari Larrarte of Egunkaria;Arnaldo Otegi, Pernando Barrena and Joseba Permach of Batasuna; Juan Mari Olano and Jon Enparantza of the Pro-Amnesty Movement (AAM); Rafa Diez of the trade union LAB and most of the indictees in the cases relating to the Haika and Segi Basque nationalist left youth organisations. They were joined by Jone Goirizeliala, Arantza Zulueta and Iker Urbina, the lawyers defending them.

Yesterday a prominent role was taken by the indictees in the 18/98 case, which is about to start; they climbed up onto the stage and filled it. They got a warm round of applause from the audience. They in turn applauded the people who had come to support them.

.... ... .

Etxerat and the Refugees

With our ongoing and wrongly named "War on Terrorism" some states have created new laws aimed at removing many of the human rights and civil liberties of those individuals who stand faithful to their principles, their ideals and political proposals become what is known as dissidents.

On the other hand, there is governments that time to time seem to understand that to achieve peace, you most negotiate, you must yield to some of the demands put forward by those on the other side of the table.

Here you have an article that appeared at Berria today, by Ekain Rojo titled "Etxerat urges ending of oppression to fugitives":

During a press briefing given in Donostia (San Sebastian) yesterday Etxerat called on Spain and France to end the oppression of Basque fugitives. It urged them “to stop,” once and for all, “the cruel measures that only serve to prolong the conflict and spread the suffering,” and made a call for the steps needed in the Basque Country to resolve the conflict to be taken by everyone together.

Etxerat’s request in fact comes the day after the British Government published legislation that would open up the way for the fugitives of the IRA and other paramilitary groups to return home. They stressed that if the Basque conflict is to be resolved, then Basque fugitives are also needed back in the Basque Country.

Estanis Etxaburu, Etxerat’s spokesman, pointed out that over 2,000 political fugitives had fled the Basque Country, “because of the violence being perpetrated by the [French and Spanish] States”. They have taken refuge mainly in Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Panama, Cuba, Mexico, Cape Verde and Belgium. Etxaburu said they did not know what the circumstances of many of them were: “It is very tough not knowing where your sons and daughters, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles or friends are or how they are doing.”

As you read these lines, six Basques await an extradition process that is today in the hands of the Supreme Court in Mexico. Their process has been plagued with irregularities and the Inquisitorial Judge Garzón has presented nothing but a copy of a document that says absolutely nothing.

A number of Spanish politicians both from the present and the past governments have demanded from President Vicente Fox to bypass the Mexican Constitution that prevents the Mexican authorities from extraditing political refugees to countries that practice oppression and torture. Sadly enough Vicente Fox, like his predecessor Ernesto Zedillo, agreed to it.

Now, those six depend on a display of courage by the Supreme Court judges, because that is going to take in order to ensure that the executive and legislative powers in Mexico remain independent from each other.

Bottom line, Spain is looking to exporting that repression that Etxerat speaks about to other sovereign states and demanding from them to violate their own laws and regulations.

Sad indeed, taking into consideration that this is the XXI century.

.... ... .

This Charade is Over

Which charade am I talking about?

Well, the one put in place by Madrid to punish Kontxi Bilbao, Gorka Knörr and Juan Maria Atutxa for acting with dignity in the case of the ban against a political party by extreme right members of the PP.

Here you have what Berria tells us about the acquittal:

Atutxa, Knörr and Bilbao acquitted

The judgment published by the High Court of the Basque Autonomous Community states that decisions taken as part of parliamentary work are protected by the right of inviolability enjoyed by members of parliament

Aitziber Laskibar – BILBO (Bilbao)

The High Court of the BAC-Basque Autonomous Community has found Juan Maria Atutxa, Gorka Knörr and Kontxi Bilbao not guilty on the grounds of the inviolability of members of parliament. The Manos Limpias association had accused the three of contempt of court for failing to abide by a ruling handed down by the Spanish Supreme Court to dissolve the Sozialista Abertzaleak group, and that was why the three had been summonsed to appear in court two weeks ago. The High Court of the BAC has, however, ruled that the right of inviolability of members of parliament protects the former members of the Presiding Committee of the BAC Parliament from their decisions.

“Members of the BAC Parliament shall be immune from the opinions expressed and votes cast in the fulfilment of their duties.” This is stated by the BAC’s Statute of Autonomy and forms the basis of the judgment delivered yesterday. The judgment also refers to an article of the BAC Parliament which has the force of law to support the decision to acquit the three: “Even after Members of the BAC Parliament have left their positions, they shall continue to enjoy inviolability with respect to opinions expressed, votes cast or steps taken in the course of their duties.” These two articles fully protect Atutxa, Knörr and Bilbao in the view of the BAC High Court’s panel of judges. In fact, the acts which have been tried “are not ones which the accused have taken as ordinary citizens but decisions taken in their capacity as members of the BAC Parliament’s presiding committee.”

The judgment also states that the charges brought by the prosecution are in connection with a decision taken and voted on by the defendants in the Parliamentary Presiding Committee; decisions taken in the BAC Parliament in the course of their work as members of the BAC Parliament. The judges point out: “Moreover, only the members who cast a specific vote in the Parliamentary Presiding Committee have been accused.” The 21-page judgment published by the BAC High Court yesterday also states that the decision taken by Atutxa, Knörr and Bilbao was taken in defence of the autonomy enjoyed by the BAC Parliament.

Seems like the people at wrongly called Manos Limpias are unaware that supporting antidemocratic measures can splatter your hands with the blood of all those murdered by a regime like the one that ruled Madrid from 1939 to 1975, a regime that was in fact perpetuated by Aznar and his cronies when they decided to start banning political formations on top of shutting down schools, radio stations, human right organizations and newspapers.

.... ... .

Iparralde Burns?

Yesterday I saw a report on the news indicating the cities around France where youths have been rioting for more than a week now.

It mentioned Pau.

Too close for comfort.

But according to Berria, it seems like the fires reached Baiona:

Vehicles set ablaze in Basque Country

Three vehicles were set on fire in the Zup district of Baiona (Bayonne) and an attempt was made to torch four buses in the nearby Camp de Prats

Editorial Staff

Although the riots that have spread to many areas of France appear to have reached the Basque Country, too, this was ruled out yesterday by people in positions of responsibility in the social services operating in Baiona (Bayonne). The night before last some unknown individuals did, in fact, set fire to three vehicles.

French Police arrested four people in the Zup district of Baiona yesterday in connection with their enquiries into the fires. The police said that in addition to the vehicles, premises belonging to North Africans had also been attacked. Many immigrants of African origin live in the Zup district with their children.

According to the social services, the problems in some of the poor French suburbs do not exist in Zup, and they stressed that the detainees were not immigrants. Last night an attempt was made to torch four buses in Camp de Prats next to Baiona. Firefighters put out the fires, despite the fact that windows had been smashed and Molotov cocktails thrown inside. Batasuna said during its remarks on the subject of the riots taking place in France that they indicated the “failure of the Jacobin model” of State.

Will it spread to the world like it did in '68?

.... ... .

Jaialdi, by Miren Artiach

This comes to us via Berria:

Why Jaialdia in Boise is that important?

By Miren Artiach

Here in Boise, Idaho we have just concluded the celebration of the fifth Jaialdi and are very elated to report that the event was the biggest success of all. There are reasons why an event of this magnitude can only be celebrated every five years. Firstly, the planning for such an undertaking takes more than two years. As most of the workers for the event are volunteers, it takes a certain amount of time to find all of the people who are needed to work to make all of the events run smoothly.

One of the main reasons for staging such a celebration so far from our homeland is to express our extreme pride in our Basque heritage. Many of us are the sons and daughters of Basque immigrants who left their beloved Euskadi in search of a better life. For many of them, there were extreme sacrifices but most of them held on to their uniqueness even as they worked hard to assimilate themselves into the American culture. Perhaps the greatest gift they gave their children and grandchildren was a sense of pride in being Basque. For some of us who were even more fortunate, our parents taught us to speak euskera, one of the most unique languages of the world.

In Idaho and the surrounding western states, Basques have achieved an enviable record for being good citizens. In my opinion, this is because their families have instilled in them a sense of pride in who they are. Here in the American disapora, our uniqueness is respected and, therefore, we feel that it is our duty as Basques to share our culture with all those who live around us.

The concept of Jaialdi was born out of this sense of responsibility to share our pride with the Boise community. Now, our focus is international and we welcome everyone who is Basque or non-Basque to share in the richness of our traditions. The activities of the week feature Basque dance, music, sports, food, and educational seminars. For those who are non-Basque, these are opportunities to know us better and to witness the beauty, strength, and uniqueness of the Basque culture. For those of us who are Basque, this is the time when we reach out to our brothers and sisters in the diaspora to forge new working relationships so that we may continue to support one another in our efforts to preserve what is most dear to us.

If it were not for celebrations such as Jaialdi, many people here might believe the slanted news they read in the American press concerning current events in the Basque country. The press would have us believe that the Basques are malcontents who are trying to achieve their autonomy through means that are violent in nature. The arrests and tortures of innocent Basque victims and other human rights violations are seldom given attention in our media. I would hope that the celebration of Jaialdi might be the birth of new understandings. A knowledge of the political aspect of the culture is essential to completing the picture of who we are. Our struggles to preserve our culture have been endless.

It is my opinion that a culture can thrive under two very different conditions. If there are incessant threats to an identity as there are in Euskadi, the will to survive and preserve is strengthened. Oppression has always made us strong! On the other hand, when you have a country that respects diversity for the most part such as the United States, then you have freedom and respect as the elements that foster the preservation of a unique culture.

After a week of celebrating who we are, our hearts are again full and our souls are satisfied. I would measure the success of our efforts by the events that will come about over the next five years until we celebrate again. I know that the connections that were made during this week will inspire renewed efforts to nurture the preservation of who we are in many communities throughout the world.

For those of you who came to us from Euskadi and other Basque communities of the world, I offer my sincerest thanks for your participation in our events. I hope that you left with one important impression. Although we are far from the homeland of our ancestors, you had the opportunity to see just how precious our Basque heritage is to us.

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Patxi Bites the Dust

The drive by the PSOE and the PP to disrupt the political life in the Basque Autonomous Community has finally come to an end.

This travesty was doomed from the get go. It is quite extrange that while the PP is fully engaged in placing all possible obstacles against Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero, ergo the three demonstrations it has spearheaded so far, when it came to derailing Ibarretxe's bid to a third term they were very willing to close ranks with Francisco Lopez (aka Patxi Lopez, to make it sound Basque).

Well, to be honest, it is not all that extrange.

And they failed.

They failed because what they are after is plain and simple, to continue the pet project that both parties share, to deny the Basques their right to self determination.

This is part of what Berria published earlier this morning:

Juan Jose Ibarretxe aukeratu dute Eusko Jaurlaritzako lehendakari, azken bi legegintzalditan bezala. PSE-EEko hautagai Patxi Lopezek baino boto bat gehiago lortu du Ibarretxek, 34 hain zuzen ere. EAJren 22boto, EAren 7, EB-Berdeen 3 eta Ezker Abertzalea taldearen 2 boto eskuratu ditu Ibarretxek, denera 34.

He he, just kidding, here you have it in plain English:

By a stroke the Ezker Abertzalea group not only assured Ibarretxe of his presidency, they also took the key for a dead heat out of Aralar’s hands; and by that time it did not matter whether the PP supported Patxi Lopez or not. But despite the disagreements, San Gil (PP) explained that the votes would be for Lopez. Right up until the evening there was doubt on which way Aralar was going to vote: in her speech beforehand Aintzane Ezenarro spared no words to accuse the three parties of lacking the will to achieve consensus, but she left the door open: she had asked for specific replies on a referendum and on the measures to stop incommunicado detention and had announced that she would decide accordingly. In the end she abstained, because last minute talks had failed to yield any fruit.

Of course, Expatica engages in some Basque hating and calls Esker Abertzalea by the labels of radical and separatist, and even going to the extreme of linking it to ETA:

Moderate nationalist Juan Jose Ibarretxe was re-elected president of the regional Basque government thanks to the partial support of a new party linked to the terrorist group ETA.

Ibarretxe won by a simple majority in a vote in the Basque regional legislature, after garnering the support of two of the new deputies from EHAK, a Basque Communist party said to be linked to the banned Batasuna group.

The partial EHAK support for Ibarretxe was announced on Wednesday by the spokesman for the party, Nekane Erauskin, during the first session of debate on the election of the regional president.

The separatist label is applied by AlertNet also, talk about Madrid being savy when handing out "financial encouragement" to the media:

He defeated a bid from Spain's ruling Socialist party and the centre-right opposition Popular Party to end nearly two decades of nationalist rule in the highly-autonomous Basque region of northern Spain.

Socialist spokesman Jose Antonio Pastor warned Ibarretxe against being "hijacked" by the separatists. He offered Ibarretxe political support if he distanced himself from EHAK.

Ibarretxe's own plan to "share" sovereignty in the Basque region with Spain was crushingly defeated by the Spanish parliament earlier this year.

It was effectively dismissed by his party's poor electoral showing in April.

Batasuna, banned as the political wing of ETA from contesting April's vote, told its supporters to vote for EHAK, which shares its aim of an independent Basque state carved from north Spain and southwest France.

Now, why was Ezker Abertzalea (formerly known as EHAK) so reluctant to provide Ibarretxe with their sorely need support?

Well, to many in Euskal Herria, Ibarretxe is more of a lesser evil than a real option.

Although it seems like he works in behalf of the Basques society, there is room for doubt, mainly when it comes to the actions of the Basque Autonomous Police (Ertzaintza) and the resistance by his government to provide the elements that will stop the rampant use of torture.

I have my doubts also, but it seems like one more obstacle has been left behind.

Patxi, you failed.

San Gil, you failed.

Ibarretxe, don't let us down, pretty please.

Gazteiz

Basque premier Juan Jos Ibarretxe (R) is congratulated by Socialist leader Patxi Lopez after being elected president of the Basque government in Vitoria, northern Spain, June 23, 2005. Ibarretxe, who was elected for a third consecutive term with the support of a radical separatist party, has pledged to push ahead with a plan to end four decades of violence by armed separatist group ETA within the next six months. REUTERS/Vincent West

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Guilty Even When Not

For decades Madrid has followed a simple yet perverse policy against the Basque society.

They accuse anyone working in behalf of the Basque self determination of being part of something they call the entorno.

A literal translation of entorno would be environment or surroundings.

Meaning, anything and everything Basque is part of ETA, since they are Basque.

I could come up with quite a few similar comparisons if I wanted.

A few years back, from the hand of clown Judge Garzon, Madrid started a process against a number of Basque youth organizations; Jarrai, Haika and Segi. These organizations were aimed at providing the Basque youth with projects and spaces in which they could express themselves, something sorely needed to curb the increased use of drugs among youngsters.

Since these groups supported the right to self determination and (gasp!) independence, they were branded as part of ETA.

Yesterday Spain's highest court, the Audiencia Nacional, ruled these groups are not part of ETA:

Spain's highest court has ruled a youth organisation with links to ETA was not a terrorist group and ondemned 24 members of Segi to light sentences.

They were given jail terms of between two and three-and-a-half years for belonging to an illegal organisation.

Four other accused escaped any sentence.

Yes, you read that right, even after ruling that they were not part of ETA, they still were handed sentences, go figure that one out.

But notice the language Expatica uses: "Four other accused escaped any sentences".

These four others spent years in jail awaiting a resolution of their case, they were found non guilty, yet for Expatica, they escaped any sentences, as if they deserved them but got away without them.

Which comes to show that for the Spanish media, the Basques are not only guilty until proven innocent, they are guilty even when innocent.

What about the years spent in jail just to be proven innocent?

At least there is a sentence in the article that provides a little measure of hope:

The Audiciencia Nacional said only ETA can be defined in law as a terrorist organisation as it used arms.

So, there you go, Ikastolas are not terrorist organizations, Basque media outlets are not terrorist organizations, Basque unions and political parties are not terrorist organizations, hopefully someone will pay attention to the Audiencia Nacional.

Berria provides more info:

The most significant aspect, however, is the crime the Court has found them guilty or not guilty of. The case had been built on Judge Baltasar Garzon’s assertions that as the indictees were the leaders of the youth organisations, they were therefore ETA members. The Prosecutor Enrique Molina also deliberately stuck to this hypothesis during the trials. The Prosecutor embarked on the trial pressing for convictions of up to fourteen years for 33 of the indictees. In the final report he was pressing for ten-year sentences for 28 of the indictees. The charges against the other five were dropped after admitting there was insufficient proof for convicting them.

* The article cited here was originally published by Anti-Basque outlet Expatica, you can also read it at Artxiboak.

UPDATE: The blog Oread Daily has a very compelling post regarding this issue, it is called Basque Youth Face Repression:

The trial was merely the latest in the assault on the Basque Nationalist Left. For several years now newspapers, political parties, radio stations, cultural associations, and schools have been shut down by the Spanish state, while hundreds have been jailed, thousands driven into exile, and millions of Euros worth of assets seized. Always Spain claims the targets are members of ETA and therefore terrorists.

Many of those charged and/or convicted are held far away from their homes, sometimes on the Canary Islands, so that visits are difficult.

Revolution reports that Basque prisoners are commonly tortured. Spanish law allows prisoners suspected of terrorism to be held five days with no outside communication or lawyer. Reports of beatings, electric shock, suffocation with plastic bags, threats of rape and the like are common. Revolution says, “The number of incidents reported, including cases of attempted suicide by prisoners, has led even the United Nations to recognize that the Spanish government is violating the conditions it agreed to in the Convention against Torture.”

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Justice for Berrueta

Over a year ago, one of Spain's more sinister characters, José María Aznar, decided to benefit politically from a tragedy in which dozens of innocent people were killed.

His actions lead to the death of one more person, his name, Angel Berrueta, a baker from the city of Iruñea that was gunned down and hacked to death by a police officer and his son after Angel refused to put up a sign on the window of his bakery as demanded by the police officer's wife.

This is exactly the kind of reaction that the likes of Aznar, Rajoy, Acebes and Palacio were looking for.

What they wanted was to make the entire Basque society look as responsible for the bombings in Madrid. It was only natural that the hot heads would go to extremes like the killing of a defenseless old man.

Valeriano de la Peña, his son Miguel de la Peña and his wife María Pilar Rubio are now standing trial for that senseless act of violence. The judge in charge is trying to downplay it, making it look like a disagreement among neighbors.

Here is what Berria published about the reaction for those who think the act was politically motivated, taking into consideration that Angel Berrueta was a member of Gurasoak, a support group for the parents of Basque political prisoners:

Representing the Gurasoak association, Jose Miguel Olza pointed out they were only demanding justice and said that the case would be “conditioned” by the fact that Javier Muñoz, the Public Prosecutor of the High Court of Navarre, had said that the death was the result of an argument between neighbours. Olza stressed that they had gathered to express “solidarity” towards the family and that it was the moment to be close to the family of the dead man. He added that the PP was politically responsible for the killing.

Yes, there will be the cowards that will continue to sing their odes to Spain's "young" democracy while they turn a blind eye to the ugly fascism rearing its head in the politics of that country.

The rest of us, well, we demand justice for Angel Berrueta and his family.

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Irish, Yes/ Basque, Almost

It is so extrange to see Madrid fighting for the right of Basque to be recognized by the European Union.

Yet, as bizarre as it may be, it happened, and here is the story according to the Belfast Telegraph:

The Irish language overcame Dutch objections to win recognition as an EU official language yesterday, but the next challenge facing the Irish government will be to provide trained interpreters and translators.

It means that Irish will finally become a working language of the EU more than 30 years after the country first joined.

Although the European taxpayer must pay for the cost of Irish, the Spanish government will pay for the more limited rights afforded to Basque, Catalan and Galician.

The deal to get agreement on Irish was finalised amid a growing mood in the Netherlands and elsewhere to curb all expansion of EU costs following the rejection of the constitutional treaty in the Netherlands two weeks ago.

To be honest, on top of the Dutch refusal, the three continental languages had to face Ireland's own refusal, try to explain that one.

Berria provides more information:

The Basque Language can be used in European institutions from now on, but it will not enjoy official status. The same applies to Catalan and Galician. The ambassadors of the 25 European Union countries reached agreement in Luxembourg yesterday. EU Foreign Ministers are expected to approve the accord without entering into any debate.

This decision in Europe comes as a result of a request made by the Spanish Government. Initially, Spain wanted the language rules to be changed so that Basque, Catalan and Galician could be official. That option was however dropped, because the European Union Treaty would need changing beforehand. It must be pointed out that even though Spain has made this request, MPs who speak Basque, Catalan and Galician will not have an opportunity to use these languages in Congress (the lower house of the Spanish Parliament). In recent times there has been a lot of tension between ERC MPs and Manuel Marin, the Speaker of the lower house of the Spanish Parliament. Whenever Catalan MPs tried to speak in their own language, they were silenced by Marin.

Confusing huh?

I have only one question to the big wigs runing the European Union.

Do they understand the importance of preserving Europe's oldest language?

Do they realize that a language is to be spoken in order to continue to be?

Or do they want to preserve it in museums, in books and recordings?

For the sake of their own credibility, they need to come up with answers to those questions

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Good Question

"Does anyone thinks this will help to bring about peace?"

-Miren Azkarate.

On today's edition, Berria English publishes an article with the reaction by Miren Azkarate, spokesman (spokeswoman?) for the PNV to the arrest of Arnaldo Otegi.

She went on to say:

There is no denying that the decision has a political tinge. “Certain acts carried out by the Spanish National Criminal Court do not escape the suspicion of being politically motivated.” She said she is “astounded” whenever she hears about such judicial proceedings, because they have tended to have very little basis, and remind her of the Egunkaria case or the freezing of Martin Ugalde’s bank accounts.

The article also contains the reaction by Josu Imaz:

Josu Jon Imaz, the Chairman of the National Executive Committee (EBB) of the EAJ-PNV, said during comments he made to the Telecinco channel in Madrid that there were real suspicions of a political motive behind the jailing of Otegi. He said: “It was a decision taken to use justice for political ends.” He put the jailing of Otegi in the context of the indictments issued by Judge Garzon of the Spanish National Criminal Court, and said “Garzon has not stood out for being specific in legal matters.”

Bottom line, the situation does not help the dialogue. The Basque society wants a peaceful resolution, it is the only way to end a violence that is an everyday reality for many families in Euskal Herria and Spain.

The problem is that Madrid is fully engaged on criminalizing ideas, when that happens, then the communication is poisoned. That is how no matter how many times you reject the violence unleashed by an armed group, if you also denounce the violence generated by an state against an entire society, then you are an apologist.

Go figure that one out.

Just a couple of days ago Amnesty International issued a press release in which it states its dismay over the denial by the Spanish Courts to look into the multiple claims of torture against Basques and immigrants.

There is people that has never pronounced themselves against the rampant torture at the Guardia Civil detention centers, but they oh so ready to cast judgement on others.

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Their Commitment is the Sling

In their article titled "Fighting Against Goliath", Berria describes the problems faced by teachers of Euskera in towns where Spanish is spoked more widely.

Here is a paragraph that describes the situation:

Jaione Zabala, who teaches at the Alkartu council school in Barakaldo, does not fully concur with this assertion. “You can also learn English in the Basque Country, but the thing is that it is a much slower, more tiring process. The same thing happens to us with our Basque. They don’t have the same facilities for learning Basque as people in Basque-speaking areas do. They have to buy sweets in Spanish, they won’t be watching Basque TV (ETB), because their parents or older brothers and sisters don’t understand Basque…”

This is something that has been addressed multiple times, the danger of having Euskera, the oldest European language, competing against two formidable linguistic behemots. There is a huge gap between what Madrid claims and what they actually allow. Having members of the PP calling the Ikastolas by the term of "hotbeds of terrorism" because education is imparted in Euskera is but one example.

One thing though, the commitment of all those involved in the strenghtening of Euskera can be quite an effective sling against this Goliath.

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