The accusation against Murillo in the extradiction-request, accomplice in an attack of the Naffaroa –commando of ETA in 1980 (!), has been found unprovable. Esteban Murillo has always declared to be innocent, also during the many court- cases in the Netherlands about his case. Despite this, and the weak accusations by the Spanish justice, Esteban was extradicted to Spain. Esteban was being held prisoner for 1 year and 10 months in Madrid, and 1 year and 7 months in the Netherland, innocently. In the extradiction-trial in the summer of 1999 it appaered that Esteban could prove that he was, according to Spanish justice, not guilty of the charge of accomplicing an attack, and that if it was the true, at maximum the charge could be complicity. But that charge was already superannuated. After al those years a Spanish judge comes to the same conlcusion.

The notorious Spanish investigator-judge Balthasar Garzon asked the dutch authorities at 5 february 2001 for the extension of the prosecution of Esteban Murrillo, this time for involvement in an attack at 17 april 1982 on members of the Policia Nacional. The court in The Hague will speak out about this case at the 31 of may. This new attempt of Garzon to prosecute Esteban is based on the same evidence, which came out after torture of two men, as in the first case. The court in The Hague could, according to us, do nothing else then to clear Esteban from prosecution and deny the request of Garzon.

Esteban Murillo escaped the Basque country in 1986, after being arrested and tortured in 1975, 1977 and 1983 for activities in the Basque labour-union LAB. He fled to France, which wanted to extradict him to Spain in 1990. Esteban went to Chili and Mexico, where he was recognised as political refugee. He had to sit in jail 8 months because of pressure of Spain on Mexico to extradict Basque refugees. At the 8 of january 1999 Esteban was arrested at Schiphol Airport on his way to France to be treated at back-problems, still suffering from the torture in Spain.

The accusations against Esteban were based on two statements of people whowere tortured and their statements immediately withdrew when they were released. This reminds us of the case of Juan Ramon Rodriguez (Juanra), in prison in Vught, The Netherlands, since 17 january this year. Juanra is imprisoned on a statement by a person tortured in Barcelona and on accusation of giving information to somebody who is suspected of being from ETA. We warn the dutch autorities not to make the same mistake as they did with Esteban.

We are thinking about a claim to the dutch autorities for the damage Esteban and his family is done.

Basque Information Centre (BIC)
Pobox 2884
3500 GW Utrecht
The Netherlands
AlertAfa@xs4all.nl