NIEUWSOVERZICHT

WEEKLY UPDATE BASQUE INFORMATION CENTRE, WEEK 27, 29 July until 6 August

The former Basque political prisoner Asier Etxeberria who was, accompanied by the former Basque political prisoner Ainhoa Crespo, driving back from the prison in Badajoz, is arrested by the Guardia Civil and taken to Madrid. Appaering before the judge there seemed to be no case against him and he is released again with the order to report twice a month at a police station.
Jon Artola, one of the shortly arrested Basque political refugees in Mexico, says to the daily ‘La Jornada’ and the tv-broadcast ‘Televisa’ that the searching of the houses by the police was done without witnesses and are illegal, because of ‘planted’ evidence which could have been ‘found’. The arrests caused a lot of turmoil in Mexico and various commentators pointed at the absurdity of the Spanish accusations and condemned their way of working.
In Iruñea, by orders of Garzón, a photocopier, a camera and money is seized at the quarters of the in 1998 closed left Daily EGIN at the 28th of July. The former employees of EGIN, who were present as witnesses, didn’t get to see a legal permission for the search. At the 15th of July the police got the order to guard the premises of EGIN 24 hours a day, but there was nothing said about raiding the place and seizing goods.
In Cahors, France, French and Spanish police on orders of the French judge Laurence Le Vert arrests José Kándido Sagarzazu, Jose Miguel Illarramendi and Claude Rekart at the 30th of July. They are accused of being part of the logistic apparatus of ETA and in the house where they stayed was, according to the first news, 448- kilo explosives found.
At the same day the Basque political prisoner Rufino Arria is being extradited from France to Spain. The judge of the ‘Audiencia Nacional’, Fernando Andreu, ordered his detention in the prison Soto del Real in Madrid because of alleged membership of ETA and illegal possession of a gun. Arria was also accused of alleged participation in the death of the ex-president from the Spanish secret service Fransisco Tomás y Valiente, in despite of the explicit rejection of this accusation in the extradition trial in France.
In Madrid Arkaitz Alkorta, judge Garzón on a bail of 35000 euro each temporarily releases Xabier Aiestaran, Iugi Oteiza and Joseba Arrizubieta, who were arrested in February by the Basque police. They were being held in the prisons of Aranjuez and Alacalá-Meco together with 26 others during the closing of Egunkaria and there occurred torture during the ‘incommunicado’-detention. Complaints were made against the Basque police, as well as the Spanish police and the Guardia Civil. After these complaints the ministry of Internal Affairs of the Basque Government set up a so-called ‘safety- protocol’, but this had no effect whatsoever; in this year already 36 cases of torture and mistreatment are recorded.
According to the chairman of the Basque National Party PNV Xabier Arzulluz there is no democracy in Spain; a report analyzing this, called ‘An ethical reflection on justice and democracy in the Spanish state’ was released on the 30th of July. Arzalluz reflects on statements from Spanish government members about prosecuting people without Justice saying anything about it. Arzalluz assumption is that the Partido Popular politicized the Justice system.
At the 31st of July the Basque police dismantles a bomb at the entrance of the transport company ‘La Guipozcoana’ in Azkoitia. A security man called the police when he saw a sport bag at the entrance.
The judge of the ‘Audiencia Nacional’ Guillermo Ruiz Polanco ended the prosecution of Oier Gorosabel, Pablo Girón and Arantza Irzabel. The Basque police arrested them at a demonstration last September and they were accused of ‘openly rioting, calling for terrorism, attacking police-officers and insulting the police’.
At the first of August David Cebrian, owner of the house where at the 15th of July Joseba Segurola and Ibai Aginaga were arrested, is locked up in the prison Soto del Real in Madrid. He voluntarily reported to the prison when he heard he was being searched for in relation with these arrests.
At the same day the former Basque political prisoner Enrique Letona is arrested on orders of the judge of the ‘Audiencia Nacional’ Fernando Andreu with charges of involvement in an attack in 1981, where an officer of the Guardia Civil was killed. Letona was released a short while ago, after being 16 years in prison for the same charge.
In the Netherlands starts at the first of August a huge turmoil around the visit of a delegation of the outlawed Basque youth organization Segi, who are also on the EU-terrorlist. More about that visit under the News headlines on our web site.
At the 2nd of August the Spanish High Court verdicts in the case of the ‘double punishment’ of Serafin Blanco, who served his time in France (‘member of a criminal group’), but in Spain was imprisoned for the charges of being ‘member of the armed organization ETA’. The Spanish High Court rejects this practice and this could be the end of the Spanish ‘double punishment’ of alleged ETA-members. This verdict means also that the cases of for example Pilar Mondragon, Iñaki Etxeberria, Fermin Sánchez and Petra Elser should be reviewed.
In Leioa a bomb explodes at the car dealer ‘Goñi Motor’ at the 2nd of August, causing a lot of damage. Because of a warning call the garage was evicted and there were no casualties.
At the 3rd of August ETA brings out the following statement: “Last December we informed a number of European tour operators that “Euskadi Ta Askatasuna” was planning to attack Spanish tourist and economic interests. We also sent similar warnings to certain embassies of Europe and of other countries. We repeated our warning to a number of European journalists. This is what we told them: “Euskadi Ta Askatasuna” (ETA), the revolutionary, socialist organization for the liberation of the Basque nation, would like to inform you, the tour operators, travel agencies, passenger transport agencies, and hotel reservation centers of the following: you are acting highly irresponsibly if you fail to warn your customers of the serious risk they are taking when they choose any tourist resort of the Spanish State. ETA, just as it has done over the last few years, wants to emphasize once again that while the political conflict between the Basque Country and the Spanish State is ongoing, absolutely all the infrastructure of the Spanish State, including logistic, economic, institutional, police or military infrastructure, continues to be the target of our armed operations. You are therefore advised to warn all your customers of this, so that they do not get caught up in a conflict that has nothing to do with them, and to explain to them carefully what kind of personal danger they could be in, if they choose the resorts of the Spanish State for their holidays, because in 2003, too, ETA will be intensively attacking the Spanish tourist industry and cannot guarantee that anyone entering the war zone will not get hurt…”
At the 6th of August a German court in Nürnberg decides that Paulo Elkoro can be extradited to Spain. Elkoro was arrested at the 21st of January in Nürnberg and is detained in the High Security prison in Münich. He is accused of driving a car that was used to carry out a bomb-attack on barracks of the Guardia Civil in 1997; there were no casualties, but the damage was severe. Elkoro is also accused of sending warning letters to travel agencies. The judge denied the fear of torture of Elkoro. The Basque Information Centre is distributing solidarity-cards for Paulo Elkoro, which you can send to the Interior Minister in Bayern. You can order them for free at info@baskinfo.org
At the 6th of August Athletic Bilbao plays a friendly in Hoorn, the Netherlands. Some activists hang banners with the lyrics ‘Spain Tortures, Free Alexander!’ and ‘Stop isolation of political prisoners’ and wave the Ikurina’s at the 3-1 victory against Volendam.

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WEEKLY UPDATE BASQUE INFORMATION CENTRE, WEEK 27, 29 July until 6 August
The former Basque political prisoner Asier Etxeberria who was, accompanied by the former Basque political prisoner Ainhoa Crespo, driving back from the prison in Badajoz, is arrested by the Guardia Civil and taken to Madrid. Appaering before the judge there seemed to be no case against him and he is released again with the order to report twice a month at a police station. Jon Artola, one of the shortly arrested Basque political refugees in Mexico, says to the daily ‘La Jornada’ and the tv-broadcast ‘Televisa’ that the searching of the houses by the police was done without witnesses and are illegal, because of ‘planted’ evidence which could have been ‘found’. The arrests caused a lot of turmoil in Mexico and various commentators pointed at the absurdity of the Spanish accusations and condemned their way of working. In Iruñea, by orders of Garzón, a photocopier, a camera and money is seized at the quarters of the in 1998 closed left Daily EGIN at the 28th of July. The former employees of EGIN, who were present as witnesses, didn’t get to see a legal permission for the search. At the 15th of July the police got the order to guard the premises of EGIN 24 hours a day, but there was nothing said about raiding the place and seizing goods. In Cahors, France, French and Spanish police on orders of the French judge Laurence Le Vert arrests José Kándido Sagarzazu, Jose Miguel Illarramendi and Claude Rekart at the 30th of July. They are accused of being part of the logistic apparatus of ETA and in the house where they stayed was, according to the first news, 448- kilo explosives found. At the same day the Basque political prisoner Rufino Arria is being extradited from France to Spain. The judge of the ‘Audiencia Nacional’, Fernando Andreu, ordered his detention in the prison Soto del Real in Madrid because of alleged membership of ETA and illegal possession of a gun. Arria was also accused of alleged participation in the death of the ex-president from the Spanish secret service Fransisco Tomás y Valiente, in despite of the explicit rejection of this accusation in the extradition trial in France. In Madrid Arkaitz Alkorta, judge Garzón on a bail of 35000 euro each temporarily releases Xabier Aiestaran, Iugi Oteiza and Joseba Arrizubieta, who were arrested in February by the Basque police. They were being held in the prisons of Aranjuez and Alacalá-Meco together with 26 others during the closing of Egunkaria and there occurred torture during the ‘incommunicado’-detention. Complaints were made against the Basque police, as well as the Spanish police and the Guardia Civil. After these complaints the ministry of Internal Affairs of the Basque Government set up a so-called ‘safety- protocol’, but this had no effect whatsoever; in this year already 36 cases of torture and mistreatment are recorded. According to the chairman of the Basque National Party PNV Xabier Arzulluz there is no democracy in Spain; a report analyzing this, called ‘An ethical reflection on justice and democracy in the Spanish state’ was released on the 30th of July. Arzalluz reflects on statements from Spanish government members about prosecuting people without Justice saying anything about it. Arzalluz assumption is that the Partido Popular politicized the Justice system. At the 31st of July the Basque police dismantles a bomb at the entrance of the transport company ‘La Guipozcoana’ in Azkoitia. A security man called the police when he saw a sport bag at the entrance. The judge of the ‘Audiencia Nacional’ Guillermo Ruiz Polanco ended the prosecution of Oier Gorosabel, Pablo Girón and Arantza Irzabel. The Basque police arrested them at a demonstration last September and they were accused of ‘openly rioting, calling for terrorism, attacking police-officers and insulting the police’. At the first of August David Cebrian, owner of the house where at the 15th of July Joseba Segurola and Ibai Aginaga were arrested, is locked up in the prison Soto del Real in Madrid. He voluntarily reported to the prison when he heard he was being searched for in relation with these arrests. At the same day the former Basque political prisoner Enrique Letona is arrested on orders of the judge of the ‘Audiencia Nacional’ Fernando Andreu with charges of involvement in an attack in 1981, where an officer of the Guardia Civil was killed. Letona was released a short while ago, after being 16 years in prison for the same charge. In the Netherlands starts at the first of August a huge turmoil around the visit of a delegation of the outlawed Basque youth organization Segi, who are also on the EU-terrorlist. More about that visit under the News headlines on our web site. At the 2nd of August the Spanish High Court verdicts in the case of the ‘double punishment’ of Serafin Blanco, who served his time in France (‘member of a criminal group’), but in Spain was imprisoned for the charges of being ‘member of the armed organization ETA’. The Spanish High Court rejects this practice and this could be the end of the Spanish ‘double punishment’ of alleged ETA-members. This verdict means also that the cases of for example Pilar Mondragon, Iñaki Etxeberria, Fermin Sánchez and Petra Elser should be reviewed. In Leioa a bomb explodes at the car dealer ‘Goñi Motor’ at the 2nd of August, causing a lot of damage. Because of a warning call the garage was evicted and there were no casualties. At the 3rd of August ETA brings out the following statement: “Last December we informed a number of European tour operators that “Euskadi Ta Askatasuna” was planning to attack Spanish tourist and economic interests. We also sent similar warnings to certain embassies of Europe and of other countries. We repeated our warning to a number of European journalists. This is what we told them: “Euskadi Ta Askatasuna” (ETA), the revolutionary, socialist organization for the liberation of the Basque nation, would like to inform you, the tour operators, travel agencies, passenger transport agencies, and hotel reservation centers of the following: you are acting highly irresponsibly if you fail to warn your customers of the serious risk they are taking when they choose any tourist resort of the Spanish State. ETA, just as it has done over the last few years, wants to emphasize once again that while the political conflict between the Basque Country and the Spanish State is ongoing, absolutely all the infrastructure of the Spanish State, including logistic, economic, institutional, police or military infrastructure, continues to be the target of our armed operations. You are therefore advised to warn all your customers of this, so that they do not get caught up in a conflict that has nothing to do with them, and to explain to them carefully what kind of personal danger they could be in, if they choose the resorts of the Spanish State for their holidays, because in 2003, too, ETA will be intensively attacking the Spanish tourist industry and cannot guarantee that anyone entering the war zone will not get hurt…” At the 6th of August a German court in Nürnberg decides that Paulo Elkoro can be extradited to Spain. Elkoro was arrested at the 21st of January in Nürnberg and is detained in the High Security prison in Münich. He is accused of driving a car that was used to carry out a bomb-attack on barracks of the Guardia Civil in 1997; there were no casualties, but the damage was severe. Elkoro is also accused of sending warning letters to travel agencies. The judge denied the fear of torture of Elkoro. The Basque Information Centre is distributing solidarity-cards for Paulo Elkoro, which you can send to the Interior Minister in Bayern. You can order them for free at info@baskinfo.org At the 6th of August Athletic Bilbao plays a friendly in Hoorn, the Netherlands. Some activists hang banners with the lyrics ‘Spain Tortures, Free Alexander!’ and ‘Stop isolation of political prisoners’ and wave the Ikurina’s at the 3-1 victory against Volendam.
Ga terug naar de nieuws index