NIEUWSOVERZICHT

WEEKLY UPDATE BASQUE INFORMATION CENTRE, WEEK 25, 14 until 21 July

In Bilbao the complaint of María Atxabal for torture by the Guardia Civil is taken into account by the Audiencia Nacional, without prosecution of her torturers. Atxabal was arrested in 1996 on the accusation of ‘cooperating with the armed organisation ETA’, heavily tortured during her incommunicado-detention and she was released 12 months later without any charges. Atxabal feels since then ‘powerless and unprotected’ and said she would rather die then go back in incommunicado-detention when arrested again.
In Iruñea the Spanish police disposes a bomb in Hotel Maissonave. Somebody who said to speak in name of ETA warned by phone and the premises and the surroundings were evicted.
At the 15th of July the Basques Joseba Segurola and Ibai Aginaga are arrested by the Spanish police in Berriozar, and placed in incommunicado-detention in Madrid. They are accused of ‘being part of the armed organisation ETA’. A third person is still looked for.
In Madrid the appeal of the defence of the Mediagroup Orain, once publisher of the now for 5 years closed left Basque magazine Egin, was rejected. The defence wanted to undo all suspensions of the activities as well as the seizing of the financial goods of the company. It hasn’t still come to a court case in the matter of Egin, the Audiencia Nacional makes the uplifting of the suspension dependent on the paying of the debts by Orain. But with the financial means seized, it is impossible to do that, so the judge now wants the current publisher of the left Basque Daily GARA, Baigorri and KIE, to pay the debts, what would mean the end of the newspaper. With a caravan from Andoian to Hernani the former employees of Egin, together with the workers of the in February closed Basque Daily Egunkaria, protested against the verdict of the Audiencia Nacional.
According to a statement by the prisonhelporganisation Etxerat (home), the authorities of the prison in Martutene, near Donostia, placed the Basque political prisoners, who carried out various actions inside, in isolation detention. They protested for weeks against the detention of the incurable illness of Bautista Barandella, who had some surgeries and is according to the Spanish law, in illegal detention.
At the 18th of July, the investigative judge Juan del Olmo extends the closing of the Basque Daily Egunkaria, the suspension of her activities and the seizing of the financial means, with another 6 months. As a reason Del Olmo claims to have new evidence linking the newspaper to ETA. The evidence comes from statements given under torture by the former editors of Egunkaria. Del Olmo says “Egunkaria was part of the economic infrastructure of ETA and was involved in the media-expansion of ETA”. The defence of Egunkaria can still not prepare the court case (if ever), Del Olmo refuses to give the documents because “it is a huge amount of paper and the case is very complex”.
Mexican police arrests the Basque political refugees Félix Garcia Rivera, Jon Artola Díaz, Axun Gorrotxategi Vázquez and Asier Arronategi at the 18th of July. All 4 had a legal status. Later the Spanish police arrest the father of Asier Arronategi, Mikel, in Forua, in the Basque province Bizkaia. One day later the Basque political refugees Ernesto Alberdi Elejalde and Jose Maria Urkijo Borde are also arrested, together with 3 Mexican citizens, whose names are not revealed. The Mexican police search 8 houses and companies and ‘freez’ at the order of the Spanish High Court 102.172 Euro. The arrested are now detained in the ‘Special Unit against Organised Crime’, where they are interrogated. This ‘Special Unit’ can arrest people without orders from a judge and keep them for 4 days. According to the prisonhelporganisation Askatasuna their lawyers appealed for legal protection and in theory the 6 cannot be extradited from Mexico. Askatasuna emphasizes that all detainees lived legal in Mexico.
Alexander Akarregi Casas, the Basque political refugee who was arrested at the 10th of July at Schip Airport in Amsterdam, is transferred from Haarlem to Alphen a/d Rijn. His new address is PI Midden Holland, PoBox 762, 2400 AT Alphen a/d Rijn. This week it must be clear what the official extradition request of the Spanish authorities will contain. If you want to write or sent something to Alexander, please write in Euskera or Catilliano.
This week the English translation of the Report about the year 2002 of the Basque anti-torture group TAT came out. The Basque Information Centre spread this books. You can order this book by paying 10 Euro’s to giro 1936332 Schism, Utrecht. Click here for a review of the book.

Ga terug naar de nieuws index

WEEKLY UPDATE BASQUE INFORMATION CENTRE, WEEK 25, 14 until 21 July
In Bilbao the complaint of María Atxabal for torture by the Guardia Civil is taken into account by the Audiencia Nacional, without prosecution of her torturers. Atxabal was arrested in 1996 on the accusation of ‘cooperating with the armed organisation ETA’, heavily tortured during her incommunicado-detention and she was released 12 months later without any charges. Atxabal feels since then ‘powerless and unprotected’ and said she would rather die then go back in incommunicado-detention when arrested again. In Iruñea the Spanish police disposes a bomb in Hotel Maissonave. Somebody who said to speak in name of ETA warned by phone and the premises and the surroundings were evicted. At the 15th of July the Basques Joseba Segurola and Ibai Aginaga are arrested by the Spanish police in Berriozar, and placed in incommunicado-detention in Madrid. They are accused of ‘being part of the armed organisation ETA’. A third person is still looked for. In Madrid the appeal of the defence of the Mediagroup Orain, once publisher of the now for 5 years closed left Basque magazine Egin, was rejected. The defence wanted to undo all suspensions of the activities as well as the seizing of the financial goods of the company. It hasn’t still come to a court case in the matter of Egin, the Audiencia Nacional makes the uplifting of the suspension dependent on the paying of the debts by Orain. But with the financial means seized, it is impossible to do that, so the judge now wants the current publisher of the left Basque Daily GARA, Baigorri and KIE, to pay the debts, what would mean the end of the newspaper. With a caravan from Andoian to Hernani the former employees of Egin, together with the workers of the in February closed Basque Daily Egunkaria, protested against the verdict of the Audiencia Nacional. According to a statement by the prisonhelporganisation Etxerat (home), the authorities of the prison in Martutene, near Donostia, placed the Basque political prisoners, who carried out various actions inside, in isolation detention. They protested for weeks against the detention of the incurable illness of Bautista Barandella, who had some surgeries and is according to the Spanish law, in illegal detention. At the 18th of July, the investigative judge Juan del Olmo extends the closing of the Basque Daily Egunkaria, the suspension of her activities and the seizing of the financial means, with another 6 months. As a reason Del Olmo claims to have new evidence linking the newspaper to ETA. The evidence comes from statements given under torture by the former editors of Egunkaria. Del Olmo says “Egunkaria was part of the economic infrastructure of ETA and was involved in the media-expansion of ETA”. The defence of Egunkaria can still not prepare the court case (if ever), Del Olmo refuses to give the documents because “it is a huge amount of paper and the case is very complex”. Mexican police arrests the Basque political refugees Félix Garcia Rivera, Jon Artola Díaz, Axun Gorrotxategi Vázquez and Asier Arronategi at the 18th of July. All 4 had a legal status. Later the Spanish police arrest the father of Asier Arronategi, Mikel, in Forua, in the Basque province Bizkaia. One day later the Basque political refugees Ernesto Alberdi Elejalde and Jose Maria Urkijo Borde are also arrested, together with 3 Mexican citizens, whose names are not revealed. The Mexican police search 8 houses and companies and ‘freez’ at the order of the Spanish High Court 102.172 Euro. The arrested are now detained in the ‘Special Unit against Organised Crime’, where they are interrogated. This ‘Special Unit’ can arrest people without orders from a judge and keep them for 4 days. According to the prisonhelporganisation Askatasuna their lawyers appealed for legal protection and in theory the 6 cannot be extradited from Mexico. Askatasuna emphasizes that all detainees lived legal in Mexico. Alexander Akarregi Casas, the Basque political refugee who was arrested at the 10th of July at Schip Airport in Amsterdam, is transferred from Haarlem to Alphen a/d Rijn. His new address is PI Midden Holland, PoBox 762, 2400 AT Alphen a/d Rijn. This week it must be clear what the official extradition request of the Spanish authorities will contain. If you want to write or sent something to Alexander, please write in Euskera or Catilliano. This week the English translation of the Report about the year 2002 of the Basque anti-torture group TAT came out. The Basque Information Centre spread this books. You can order this book by paying 10 Euro’s to giro 1936332 Schism, Utrecht. Click here for a review of the book.
Ga terug naar de nieuws index