1) Basque political prisoners
2) Reports from human rights organisations
3) News from the ranks of the Basque and Spanish governments
4) Basque language ('Egunkaria'-case) and education
5) Elections
6) Initiatives from Euskal Herria to come to a political solution of the conflict
7) Aftermath 11 March/attacks in Madri
8) The Basque diaspora
9) The '18/98'-case and repression in the Basque Country
10) Attacks and statements of ETA

1. Basque political prisoners

   At the 29th of June the Basque political prisoner Lander Etxeberria is handed over by the French police to the Spanish after serving his sentence in France. He is released and can return to his village Villabona. Before the 'handing over' Etxeberria was on hunger strike for 30 days.

   At the beginning of July again a car accident from friends of a Basque political prisoner on their way to visit Joxe Esnaola, in the prison of Lugo. Their car is total loss. Since the beginning of this year already 74 accidents of friends and family of political prisoners occurred.

   The administrative court of Versailles forces the French state to pay an amount of 2.800 euro to the Basque political prisoner Maria Luz Bella-Bringas; she was after serving her sentence at the 13th of April handed over by the French to the Spanish police and was heavily abused at a Spanish police station. Eleven years before that, she was heavily tortured in the hands of the Guardia Civil, after which she decided to go to France. Spain asked for her extradition but a French court refused that. Still she was 'handed over' and that was not the first time a Basque political prisoner was extradited to Spain, according to theIn the beginning of June the trial against 26 members of the group 'Solidarios con Itoiz', they are accused of 'disobedience against state violence'. They tried in September 2003 to prevent the demolishment of some villages by chaining themselves to the roofs, to try to slow down the project of the Itoiz lake. They have to spent 20 days in jail or pay 400 euro. At the 19th of June 2000 people demonstrate in Irunea against the Itoiz project; they declare that the struggle against Itoiz will continue. prisonhelporganisation Askatasuna.

   At the 7th of July, but then in 1985, a remarkable event took place in the prison of Martutene, Donostia. The manager of the prison, who was before seen playing soccer with his inmates, invited the famous Basque singer Imanol (who died last week) to perform. Two Basque prisoners, Iñaki Pikabea and Joseba Sarrionaindia were in this period by coincidence on different reasons transferred to this prison. After the concert it appeared the two had escaped in the prepared amplifiers of the band of Imanol. Since then the song 'Sarri' (to the last name of Joseba) is a hit, and it means also 'often'¿

   At the 8th of July French guards find in the prison of Fleury- Merogis the body of the 31-year-old Basque political prisoner Oihane Errazkin from Donostia. She committed suicide. In September 2001 she was arrested in Dax, France, together with her friend and accused of 'belonging to the logistic apparatus of ETA' and the attack on the psychologist of the Martutene- prison Javier Gómez Elósegui at the 11th of March 1997 and the failed attack on Albino Machado Pires, the cook of the barracks of Aldapete in Donostia, at the 23rd of July 1996. She was also a member of the now banned youth organisation Jarrai. Since then she was kept regularly in isolation and was not allowed to see friends as visitors. In June 2002 a court in Paris decided to extradite her to Spain.

   

   The prisonhelporganisation Askatasuna declared that the "prosecution and dispersion of Basque political prisoners" is guilty to her death and calls for all organisations who kept silent until now to break that silence. The fellow prisoners of Oihane Errazkin, Lorentxa Beyrie and Saroia Galarraga, asked the judge to postpone the court case, which was scheduled for the day of her death. He continued anyway. At the 10th of July there is a demonstration of thousands of people in Donostia, where the main call is that there will not be a political solution without a solution for the prisoners. If the demonstration is nearly ended, the Basque regional police Ertzaintza blocks the road and beats the parents of Errazkin, who wanted to negotiate and shoot rubber bullets into the crowd. The day before throughout the whole Basque Country were demonstrations, many of them banned by the Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Basque Autonomous Government. At many places there were confrontations with the Basque police, also in Donostia were the police attacked a peaceful manifestation of the trade union LAB.

   The extradition of 3 members of SEGI, Amaia Rekarte, Yves Matxikote and Haritza Galarraga by France to Spain with the European Arrest Warrant is off; the French High Court of Appeal made the verdict public at the 8th of July. The facts given by the Spanish investigative judge Garzón were conducted on French soil (Hendaia and Baoina) and not punishable and moreover, given approval to the extradition request of Spain would have meant that Spain interfered in French matters and that the sovereignty of France would be violated, so said the Court.

   At the 14th of July Julen Eizagirre-Uranga (38) and Angela Aramendi-Landa (34) are arrested in Saintes, France when trying to manoeuvre from a police-control. The two carried, according the police, guns, money, documents from ETA and 6 false identity papers. They are accused of 'building a logistic apparatus for ETA'. The Spanish National Court filed already several arrest warrants for Aramendi.

   At the 24th of July 4 alleged ETA-members are arrested; in a pass near Durango Asier Mardones and Josune Oña are arrested, Atxarte Salvador and Artiz López-Anda are arrested in Bilbao. The first 2 are according the police responsible for the shoot-out with the Ertzaintza in September last year, were 2 officers were wounded and ETA-member Arkaitz Otazua died by many shots in the back. Salvador and López-Anda would have been ETA-members who returned from France to set up a commando. López-Anda is released after 2 days, the rest is for 5 days in the notorious 'incommunicado'-detention. Mardones is taken to hospital the day after his arrest with a severe headache and signs of under-nourishment and dehydration. He is taken, just like Oña and Salvador, to the prison of Soto del Real in Madrid.

   At the 31st of July, the day of the beginning of the holidays in the Basque Country, more then 1000 people protested at different roads with flags and banners to demand the repatriation of Basque political prisoners to Euskal Herria. With this action Etxerat, the organisation of family members of prisoners, wanted to show that these roads, now used by people taking holiday, are used every week by family members and friends to travel an average of 1.200 km to see their prisoners for half an hour behind glass.

   At the 7th of August 5 family members of the Basque political prisoner Patxi Markes get involved in a car accident. They were travelling to the Curtis prison in Galicia, 765 km away from the Basque Country. One of them broke a leg, another one also had to report to hospital, the rest suffered minor injuries. The car was heavily damaged.

   The German Gabriele Kanze is prosecuted since 10 years by the Spanish justice department, in September this year the trial against her in Madrid will probably begin. The demand is 14 years because of 'support of ETA' and possession of explosives. Her lawyer called 7 people to testify that Kanze was in Berlin when the Spanish police found explosives in Barcelona. She did, until she travelled in 2002 to Switzerland, was arrested and extradited to Spain. In Germany they started a campaign to raise money for the travel costs of the 7 witnesses. Spendenkonto: 899922980 van Rechstanwältin Schlagenhauf, bij de Commerzbank Berlin, BLZ 10040000 ovv Gabriele Kanze.

   The transfers of Basque political prisoners continues also under the regime of the social-democrats of the PSOE; since they came to power 14 were transferred to other prisons, 12 of them came even further from home, from which Ibon Muñoa broke this months record with being transferred from a distance of 870 km to 1.130 km. Also in France the moving of the prisoners continued.

2. Reports from human rights organisations

   Only in the beginning of July the annual report of Amnesty International concerning Spain in the period January until December 2002 was published in the open. There were in that time 5 deaths and 90 wounded by ETA-attacks, it was also the time when Spain started to illegalise Batasuna and the first ever condemnation of the Spanish parliament about the dictatorship of general Franco, which lasted from 1939-1975. Amnesty urges the commemoration of the victims of the civil war (1936- 1939) and that a search has to initiated to the graves of more than 30.000 victims of that period, most of them Republicans.

   A special chapter Amnesty writes about the 'incommunicado'- detention, which she condemns. Also the mistreatment and torture, which is facilitated by this detention, is severely condemned by Amnesty. The known recommendations as videotapes during the interrogation and given these to the judge, an appointed doctor and a doctor of choice for the prisoner are done. Last but not least Amnesty is deeply concerned about the freedom of speech in the Basque Country, given the great amount of bans on peaceful demonstrations.

   Recently the chairman of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, brought a visit to the Spanish and Basque parliament and said she was worried by the 'tendency that exists to torture prisoners accused of ETA-connections'. She said she was also afraid that the reactions of the Spanish authorities to deny the existence of torture would lead to a situation of impunity. The 3 Basque government parties, the EAJ-PNV, EA and IU appreciated Khan's worries, but had just before she paid a visit obstructed that the Ertzaintza had to implement the measures recommended by the UN-reporter Theo van Boven. In her talks with the Minister of Internal Affairs López Aguilar Khan was told that 'complaints about torture are always false, not in most cases, but in 100% of the cases'. The Basque anti-torture group TAT gave Khan examples of Basques who complained about torture and were prosecuted for that, while complaints against the torturers of the Guardia Civil were dismissed and is some cases led to promotion.

   The new chairman of the Committee Against Torture (CAT) of the UN, Fernando Mariño Menéndez, gave in his first public appearance directly strong support to the report of Theo van Boven. Menéndez condemned the hysterical mud throwing of the Spanish government against this report and supported implementation of his recommendations. This report you can read here as PDF-file

3. News from the ranks of the Basque and Spanish governments

   The government of José Luis Zapatero announces that they will on very short terms call for a referendum about the European constitution. That would be the 3rd time in Spain that the people are called to a referendum, in 1978 it was about the new constitution after Franco and in 1986 about the partnership in NATO. The last governing party Partido Popular already announced to vote in favour of the constitution, while no regional party, not even the conservative Canarian Coalition, has said to be in favour. Especially in Galicia, Catalonia and the Basque Country there is resistance, as the minority languages are not guaranteed in the constitution. Zapatero tried to save this right at the EU, but was blocked by France.

   The last two months representatives of the Basque Autonomous Government and the Spanish governing party PSOE have held secret talks about the transfer of competencies of the Statute of Gernika, which is to arrange the autonomy of the Basque Country. That there were talks was leaked when there was irritation by the Basque government about the plans of the PSOE to build another prison in the Basque Country. In 1995 the Basque government put together a report to indicate which competencies had priority; among others it is about infrastructure, city council elections, prisons and employment policies.

   At the 16th of July the Basque government party Eusko Alkartasuna (EA) presents 4 initiatives to the Spanish congress to trigger reforms in laws implemented the last 4 years by the PP. It concerns the 'Law on parties', the criminal law and the politics towards prisoners. The maximum sentence has to be brought down from 40 to 30 years and release after serving ¾ of the sentence has to apply also to Basque political prisoners, said EA.

   At the 26th of July the Basque president Ibarretxe and the Spanish president Zapatero met for 2,5 hours in Madrid. Ibarretxe's message was that there was no solution as long as there is no respect for the Basque Country, which was translated by Zapatero that Ibarretxe wanted an active participation in the changes of the Spanish government. There was no word about the competencies of the Basque Autonomous Government, no word about the height of the amount that the Basque Country has to pay every year to Madrid, no word about a referendum. But there are talks again..

   At the end of July the balance is made up of '100 days Zapatero'. Concerning the Basque Country, we mentioned in this newsletter some things, accept that he could have concerned the costs of the cleaning of the Basque beaches (after the Prestige disaster), which is still the competence of Spain. Exactly, one of the 37 competencies still not transferred. Not that the Basques didn't clean their beaches, but for that the Basques have to pay to Madrid. For the Spanish people in Spain Zapatero leaves a good image until now; he kept his word by withdrawing the Spanish troops from Iraq, but there went a 1000 extra Spanish soldiers to Afghanistan. And Zapatero wants to 'return to Europe' and hurries with the referendum about the European constitution. The social democrats also proposed a law to counter domestic violence against women; every year 100 women die of macho violence. This year already 40 women were beaten to death. In this government there are however more women than ever (50%) and for the first time in history the vice president is a woman. They are also proposing laws on abortion and homosexual marriage. And there will be an end to the criticized school reform plans and even the billions of euros absorbing water project, that has to transfer water over thousands of km from the Ebro in the Basque Country to the South of Spain, is terminated. In the north (the South of the Basque Country) people are happy, in the South less, but instead of the project the PSOE is investing in water saving and the building of desalting installations.

   The Spanish Minister of Justice of the PSOE, Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega, says on the 1st of August she will not permit 'a referendum on the plan-Ibarretxe', and she will also not give in on the dispersion of political prisoners and the 'Law on Parties', who made the banning on Batasuna possible, keeps on working.

4. Basque language ('Egunkaria'-case) and education

   At the beginning of July the Spanish investigative judge Del Olmo lowers, in a reaction on the appeal of Iñaki Uria's lawyers, the bail for the release of the director of the closed Basque daily Egunkaria, from 600.000 euro to 450.000 euro. This exorbitant high amount has to be paid in cash.

   

   At the 29th of July Del Olmo decides that the bail of Uria can be paid with a guarantee. At the 2nd of August Uria is released on bail after 17,5 months in prison, he has to report every day to a court and he can't travel abroad, his passport is taken. Outside the prison he is awaited by friends and family, and the Txistulariak, the Basque flute players, make music, as the Txakolina, the Basque white wine, was drank to call him welcome. Uria says that he doesn't feel free and to have the feeling that all Basques are free on bail. About his time in prison he said that inside the prison there is another one, for Basques, who are subjected to a kind of apartheid. There are people inside who weight their value in gold, says Uria. He has special memories about 2 youngsters he met, who will be probably convicted to long sentences because of their membership of HAIKA and SEGI. The only one still in prison in the 'Egunkaria- case' is Xabier Alegria, but he is also being accused in the 'Udalbiltza-case', the banned self-organisation of Basque city- councillors. Since 1999 Alegria was 3 times arrested for 'membership of ETA', but there was never any prove.

   Later there was a small riot in the press when the Spanish representative in the Basque Country, Paulino Leusma, calls the welcome party of Uria 'an insult for all democrats and victims of terrorism' because of the presence of the Basque Ministers Anjeles Iztueta (education) and Sabin Intxaurraga (environment). She called it also 'an insult for the law and the independence of the system of law'. Iztueta replied that it was an insult that Egunkaria remained closed without any evidence.

   At the 11th of June the Spanish government appealed at the Constitutional Court against some regulations on the Basque University because they thought them to be against the Spanish constitution. At the beginning of August the case begins. It is about 8 regulations and 2 additions which are now lifted for the duration of 5 months; after that there will be a decision if they will remain suspended of that a change has to be made, which can take years. Main points are that 'that the Basque University themselves decide how much and how long she will contract researchers and teachers and that the Basque University decides so with the approval of all sectors at the University". And the Spanish government didn't approve a regulation about the conditions to become head teacher.

   The chairman of the prison system in Spain, Mercedes Galizo, allows with support of the Spanish Minister of Justice López Aguillar that Basque political prisoners van study by letter at the Basque University. It was not allowed under the PP-government.

5. Elections

   Arnaldo Otegi, spokesman of Batasuna, says to be sure that his party will participate in the next elections coming year for a new Basque government, 'whether illegal or not'. The strategy to destroy the Basque left has failed, says Otegi, reflecting on the last 3 elections were the projects of the Basque left, despite being banned, participated. According to Otegi the next step has to be made by the PSOE, to dismiss the 'Law on parties'. In the city of Lizartza in the province Gipuzkoa Joseba Egibar, local leader of the EAJ-PNV, starts with giving council seats to people who were chosen last year in the municipal elections for the banned platform Axurdario, but couldn't take the seats because of the ban. This leads immediately to a conflict with chairman Josu Jon Imaz, who announced to 'turn the measures back'. The EAJ-PNV says that they 'defend all ideologies and look for ways to do that' but can't 'bear responsibility for actions of those who aren't EAJ-PNV-members'. Batasuna says that the turning back of the measures is 'a serious step backwards' and that it will never come to a solution when the EAJ-PNV 'keeps on dancing in the tunes of Madrid'.

6. Initiatives from Euskal Herria to come to a political solution of the conflict

   At the end of June 350 local representatives of Basque cities and villages from all 7 provinces gathered in Getxo to rebuild the banned organisation Udalbiltza. The initiative was taken by the National Debate Forum, which called the refounding of Udalbiltza vital for the future of Euskal Herria. Udalbiltza was founded in 1999 and is the only organisation that brings together all 7 provinces of the Basque Country. By Madrid they were immediately labelled as 'illegal counterforce', and later banned.

   

   At the 30th of June representatives of Ezker Abertzalea (the Basque Left) say on a press conference again that they are willing to work on the future of the Basque Country, taken 3 points, which should go ahead before the 'Plan-Ibarretxe', meaning: the whole Basque Country, self-determination and a referendum. About the content of the 3 points is no consensus, but there will be worked on mutual understanding, so says the Ezker Abertzalea.

   At the 7th of June Arnaldo Otegi and Pernando Barrena of Batasuna have a long conversation with the EAJ-PNV chairman Josu Jon Imaz and others of the Basque governing party. They said to have made an analysis of the political situation of the Basque Country, but gave no further comment. There are no pics of the meeting.

   The National Debate Forum, that is the 'commission for the promotion of the solution of the conflict', begins at the 10th of July with the preparations and collection of proposals for a referendum, which has to lead to a proposal where everybody agrees with. The time schedule foresees that the proposal will be presented at the Aberri Eguna next year.

   Batasuna went to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg at the 19th of July to appeal against the banning of their party. According to them the Kingdom of Spain violated the articles 10, 11 and 13 of the European convention of Human Rights and that's why the European Court has to turn back the decisions of the Spanish High Court and the Spanish Constitutional Court. Earlier the Court decided that Turkey banned a Kurdish party in an illegal way and Letland a communist party. The verdict will take 2 till 6 years.

   At the 30th of July Batasuna sends 417 city councillors a resignation letter because they illegally hold their seat because of the banning of Batasuna.

7. Aftermath 11 March/attacks in Madrid

   At the beginning of July the Spanish commission established to research the attacks of 11 March in Madrid begins questioning experts, witnesses and civil servants. Bomb experts of the Spanish police declared that they knew already at 14.00 hours that there was no sign of the use of Titadyne, an explosive that since 2000 is used by ETA. And they denied they accused ETA of the attacks, they were from the first moment on the track of Islamic radicals. In the early morning of the 12th of March they found out that the used explosive was Goma 2 ECO was. One of the members of the commission, Jaime Ignacio del Burgo, parliamentarian in Naffaroa during the Franco dictatorship, is however still clinging on the theory 'that it could have been ETA'.

   There is also circulating a report in which the PSOE is accused of 'provocation of an abnormal situation' in the period between the attacks and the elections. And it leaked in the newspaper El Mundo that Josep Lluis Carod-Rovira of the left republican ERC from Catalonia had made a telephone call to Otegi from Batasuna. The documents to which El Mundo is referring to were not in the files of the members of the '11 March' commission, after which Aznar, visiting Colombia, declared he has the secret documents. Batasuna, ERC, the PSOE and the EA were common in their disapproval and accused the PP of 'covering up to hide the truth about 11 March'.

   

   At the 28th of July 3 Spanish Ministers declare that they didn't have any other clue than to blame ETA. According to the former government spokesman Eduardo Zaplana, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ana Palacio and former Minister of Internal Affairs Angel Acebes the government of Aznar worked 'faultless' and there was no question of 'disinformation of manipulation'. Acebes was questioned for 10 hours and dismissed all statements of the chiefs of police who pointed from the beginning to Islamic radicals. 'Still there are pieces of the puzzle left', says Acebes and he asked the commission to start an inquiry to 'the shadows of ETA'. Acebes called the 'ETA- option' between the 11th of March and the 14th of March 59 times in 7 television appearances; he referred 5 times to Al- Qaida and 2 to 'Islamic terrorism'. Palacio stated that from the denial of Batasuna that ETA had something to do with the attacks, she drew the conclusion that they 'tried to mix up the case' and that's why she sent a telegram some hours after the declaration of Batasuna to all embassies with the order to blame ETA. Zaplana and Acebes are appointed on prominent positions in the PP. Ex-Prime Minister Aznar doesn't have to appear for the commission.

   The chairman of the association of foreign correspondents in Spain, the Dutch NRC-correspondent Steven Adolf, is also called to the commission to testify. The parrot-behaviour of Dutch journalists, and then especially Robert Bosschaart from the public television NOS, needs indeed some explanation.

   At the 7th of September the commission will meet again to see if they need to call more witnesses of go directly to parliament to discuss the outcomes.

8. The Basque diaspora

   At the beginning of July the Spanish investigative judge Garzón speaks in San Diego, USA on a conference of the organisation Peace & Justice. The topic was 'Survivors of Torture International', but Garzón came to speak about 'terrorism and international law'. Some Basque Americans asked him about the torture of Basque in Spain and the closing of newspapers and political parties in the Basque Country. Garzón replied that for the last things was evidence and that the journalists would go down for 12 years in jail. When a Basque confronted him with the case of Ainara Gorostiaga, who was tortured and in the end was found not guilty, who testified about that before Garzón himself, Garzón rushed away and sought refuge by people who think he is a hero for his (failed) attempts to prosecute the Chilean dictator Pinochet.

   At the 20th of July the Mexican newspaper La Jornada says that the newspaper is in possession of documents that say that the arrest of 6 Basques last year took place 6 days before the Garzón came with the arrest warrant. Juridical experts from Mexico denounce the whole procedure of arrest, imprisonment, treatment and the extradition process as unconstitutional. They state that the 6 have to be released and that all charges must be dropped.

   Since the 8th of July the 'Mexican-6' are in hunger strike, the day on which judge Cesar Flores approved with their extradition to Spain. They want to remain in hunger strike until the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs takes a decision. Asier Arronategi called with the Basque newspaper Berria and he told that they are being held in a prison that is totally overcrowded; build for 3.900, there are 8.200 inmates. There are however good and flexible visiting hours. Arronategi said to be very pleased with the support they are getting and that also the media turned 180 degrees. 'When we were arrested we were called 'commando members', in possession of 'chemical explosives' and now the media is very critical according to the extradition procedure. For more info and a petition, please check

   

   At the 7th of August Athletic Bilbao practises for the season opening against Heerenveen in Friesland. Two days before Athletic loosed to FC Groningen with 3-2. In the Abe Lenstra stadium there were sitting some Basques, to recognise on the Ikuriña. There were also flags for the repatriation of Basque political prisoners to the Basque Country; one flag said 'Stop isolation of political prisoners'. The head security of Heerenveen found that politics didn't belong in the football stadium and removed the flags. Athletic Bilbao won 2-1.

9. The '18/98'-case and repression in the Basque Country

   At the 15th of July it is 6 years ago that 200 police officers of the Guardia Civil, lead by judge Garzón, entered the bureaus of the left wing Basque newspaper EGIN and arrested people throughout the whole country. It was the beginning of the mega- investigation called '18'98', a case with what the Spanish state hoped to destroy the whole Basque left independence movement. About that case we sell an excellent book in English in our onlineshop [LINK]. In this first operation Garzón closed a newspaper, but also a radio station, EGIN-Irrati and 250 people lost their jobs. It came never to a trial, but it is still possible that the 200 accused in the '18/98' case will have to appear in court one day. Those who were imprisoned had to pay a total amount of 400.000-euro bail and have to report every month to a court, despite not having a clear accusation of even precise reason why their newspaper and radio were closed. According to Garzón all prisoners in the EGIN case were 'ETA-members' and was EGIN part of the 'financial network of ETA'. For this Garzón didn't give any prove until this very day.

   At the end of July the lawyers Arantza Zulueta and Kepa Landa file a complaint at the Spanish National Court about the withholding of information in the '18/98'-case. The total amount of papers is now 300.000 pages. According to the lawyers there are some important pieces missing, as the reports of 50 phone conversations of suspects. They ask for original transcripts, so that they can translate it themselves from Basque to Spanish.

   Investigative judge Garzón announces that at the 1st and 2nd of September 11 members of Udalbiltza, the banned organisation of city-councillors from Euskal Herria, have to appear in court to defend themselves against the accusations to have 'connections with an armed organisation'. It concerns Maribi Ugarteburu, Major of Amoroto, Jasone Astibia, former councillor of Zubieta, Expe Iriarte, former councillor of Iruña, Juan Karlos Alduntzin, fomer Major of Pasaia, Joxean Barandiaran, fomer Major of Andoain, Miren Odriozola, fomer councillor of Azpeitia, Urko Irastorza, fomer councillor of Lazkao, Iñaki Olalde, fomer councillor of Agurain en Xefe Ziarrusta, former Major of Dima. Two others were imprisoned since their arrest at the 1st of April 2003, Unai Dañobeitia and Peru Aranburu, and are accused of being involved in 'restructuring ETA'.

   

10. Attacks and statements of ETA

    At the 15th of July ETA comes with a statement after the death of Oihane Errazkin in a prison cell in Paris. She died as a result of the policy of dispersion, says ETA, and responsible for that are also the Basque government parties EAJ-PNV, EA and IU, but also the 'pseudo-fascists' of the Basque peace organisation Elkarri. ETA calls for urgent measures to ensure the rights of the political prisoners.

    At the 21st of July there is a demand of 54 years in prison against Idoia Lopez Riañno and Santiago Arrospide Sarasola for a failed attempt in 1986 against Hernandez Gil, then president of the High Court, and his driver and bodyguard. In 2000 the 2 were arrested in France.

    At the 7th of August 2 small bombs explode in San Vicente de la Barquera (Cantabria) and Ribadesella (Asturias), the first attacks of ETA since the Al-Qaida attacks of the 11th of March. One hour before the bombs exploded somebody from ETA called to the Basque newspaper GARA and La Nueva España where the bombs were and the time of detonation. The police cleared the area and secured the place. There were no casualties and the damage was minor.

    

    Earlier the Spanish police announced that they were searching for 6 members of ETA, who wanted to do an attack on a tourist destination at the coastal region. They published photos of 3 men and 3 women in the age of 25-33 years, against who runs an arrest warrant since last summer.

    At the 9th of August there is a quarrel between the Basque Autonomous Government and the president of Cantabria, who said the 'Plan-Ibarretxe' was emphasized with the bombs of ETA. Miguel Buen, the leader of the Spanish Socialists in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa called on the public not to vote for the EAJ-PNV the coming elections.

    At the 11th of August the Spanish police evicts 5 beaches in San Carlos de la Rapita after a false bomb call. It was the 3rd time this week. The last came at the GARA.

    At the 12th of August small bombs explode in Santander and Gijon, where a man is lightly wounded, the damage is small. By warning calls before, not specifically by ETA, the streets were cleared. That there was a wounded man, was because of the confusion in the names of the street. The Spanish police thinks it was ETA who put the bombs.