2) Conflict resolution
3) Repression
4) ETA-attacks/declarations
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Basque political prisoners and arrests
Fermin Vebtura is released on the 1st of Juni after serving a prison sentence of 17 years. He was arrested on the 19th of june 1989 in Iruña and was held three days incommunicado in a Guardia Civil prison cel. After that he told them what they wanted to hear. He has been in six different prison, all far away from the Basque country.
Also this month about 20 Basque political prisoners were moved to another prison, none of them ended up in a prison in the Basquue country. -
Conflict resolution
On the 11th of June the press agency Europa Press affirms that the policeforce of the Basque autonomous region, the Ertzaintza will no longer act agains manifestation were the logo of Batasuna or other illegalized organisations are carried. The Ertzaintza will only act when there is a public order threat. The Basque minister of internal affairs however immediately declares that there will be no change of policy.
In 1992, during the Olympic games, 60 people that demonstrated in Barcelona in favour of the Catalan language were arrested and tortured with electrodes and the infamous plastic bag. The authorities considered the wounds as self-inflicted. The European court in Strassbourgh ruled on the 17th of June that the arrested are entitled to a comensation of 8000 euro each. On the 18th of june 8000 people demonstrated in Iruñea for political and civil rights. The demonstration was forbidden by judge Grande Marlaska who saw a terrorist aim, although the procurator-general, Candido Conde Pumpido, saw no grounds for the ban. The manifestation proceeded as a protest against the ban. The leader of the Partido Popular, Mariano Rajoy, demanded the resignation of Conde Pumpido for allowing a manifestation organised by terrorists. -
Repression
On the 1st of June Joseba Permach, Joseba Alvarez, Juan Kruz Aldasoro and Pernando Barrena of Batasana had to appear before the Spanish high court to answer to accusations of terrorism by judge Grande-Marlaska for being present at a press conference concerning the attacks by Spanish and Basque justice on the independence movement and concerns about he influence these attacks may have on the peace process. Eventually everybody was released without bail. Only mr. Permach has to report daily to te police. Grande-Marlaska did rule that the strategy of Batasuna (concerning negotiations) fits in a plan designed by ETA.
On the 1st and 2nd of June Jon Oihenart, Ainara Goni and Benat Trounday are arrested in the Basque provinces of Lapurdi and Behe Naffaroa. Kiskitza Gil de San Vicente and Zigor Merodio are arrested close to Bordeaux, all under the suspicion of ETA-terrorism. On the 5th of june the mass trial against the left-winged Basque independence movement continued. Now it was the turn of collaborators of the Basque paper Egin and radio Egin Irratia. While accused of being governed by ETA they declared to be working completely autonomous without any influences from the outside. The first director of Egin declared that the newspaper was founded because there was an urgent need in the Basque country for a means of communication that would be the voice of many but the mouthpiece of nobody. Further, representatives of unions and the womens movement declared about the pluralistic character of the newspaper. The collaborators of Egin are also accused of fiscal fraud upon which a sentence of 51 years is demanded. The director of social security of the Basque province Gipuzkoa declared however that Egin always paid it’s outstanding social security debts but that this became impossible as the consequence of the closure of the newspaper by Spanish justice. Egin did pay of it’s debts, interest included, in the provinces of Araba and Bizkaia. On the 7th of June judge Grande Marlaska banned a press conference of Batasuna in Iruñea. When spokesperson Juan Kruz Aldasora wants to start anyway the police enters and stops the press conference. The Ermua forum, founded after the kidnapping and killing by ETA of city counsellor for the PP, Miguel Angelo Blanco in 1997, joins as a private partie nearly every penal case against the Basque independence movement. Now they start a case for themselves against the president of the Basque autonomous community Juan Ibaretxe for receiving Arnaldo Otegi, Pernando Barrena and Juan Jotxe Petrkorena of Batasuna in the presidential residence. Since Batasuna has been declared illegal this meeting must have been illegal as well according to the forum. The Basque supreme court allowed the complaint, which means Ibaretxe is likely to have to stand trial. By the way, at the end of June two members of ETA were given 50 year sentences for the kidnapping and killing of Blanco. The defendants in the mass-trial 18/98 refused to come to court on the 19th of June as a protest against the ongoing criminalisation, the economic pressure and the pressure on relatives as a consequence of the trial. For example. All defendants have had to travel about 25.000 km in order to be present – compulsory – at the court hearings. After one and a half hours the defendants entered the court nonetheless were they had to account for the delay with the chairman of the court, Angela Murillo. The organisation of victims of terrorism demanded the immediate detention of all the defendants. On the 20th of June 12 people are arrested in a joint operation of Spanish and French police under the suspicion of extortion of industrials for ETA. In spain are arrested: Ramon Sagarzazu Olazagirre (69), Inaki Aristizabal Iriarte (59), Jean Pierre Harocarene Kamio (42), Joseba Elosua Urbieta (71) and Jose Lukin Bergara (31). In frace the arreted are Julen Madariaga (74, lawyer and cofounder of ETA and later Aralar), Angel Iturbe Abasolo (53), Eloy Uriarte Diaz Guereno (64) Izaskun Gantxegi Arrut (61), Christina Larranaga Arando (51), Jose Antonio Cau Aldalur (62) and Jose Ramon Badiola Zabaleta (48). In Irun a restaurant was closed and the bank accounts of companies of the detained – with a total amount of € 700.000,- were blocked. No letters of extortion dating from after the truce were found, just a receipt from 2001 while the detentions are the result of an investigation started in 1998. After five days Madariaga is released on bail but he is not allowed to leave Paris. At the end of June judge Grande Marlaska also indicts member of the board of the Basque governing party PNV-EAJ Gorka Aguirre although he is released on a € 30.000,- bail. Aguirre is supposed to have had regular meetings with the alleged leader of the extortion group, Joseba Elosua, for the last time on the 20th of April when Aguirre left the bar with a newspaper under his arm containing, according to the accusation the extortion letters that ETA did not send as a consequence of the truce. Elosua asked Aguirre, according to a tapped telephone conversation to warn him if he heard of anybody still receiving letters of extortion. On the 23rd of June Grande-Marlaska had two businessman arrested for paying € 64.000,- to ETA after having received letters of extortion. They are accused of collaboration with ETA. -
ETA-attacks/declarations
On the 10th of June 200.000 people demonstrated in Madrid against negotiations between the government and ETA. The demonstrators also demanded the re-opening of the investigations on the 11th of march 2004 attack in Madrid. The PP and other fascists still believe ETA was involved in these attacks alongside Muslim-fundamentalists, the PSOE and the Moroccan secret service. The committee of victims of the 11th of march attacks refused to join the demonstration. Earlier the PP broke all relations with the government after Zapatero announced talks with Batasuna.
In a declaration spread in the northern provinces of the Basque country ETA calls for the French state to show it´s will to end the conflict by means of dialogue and negotiation. ETA calls for French citizens to not cooperate with the colonisation of the Basque people. ETA again expresses the will to stick to the chosen path. According to the French government the Basque conflict is an internal Spanish problem. The organisation of victims of terrorism expresses its solidarity with the French people against this ‘foul threat by a bunch of criminals’. On the 14th of jun the Spanish prime-minister Zapatero announced talks with ETA about the transfer of Basque political prisoners to jails closer to the Basque country and the legalising of Batasuna. Soon the Basque socialists, PSE will start talks with the ‘left winged nationalism’ for prepatory talks. Zapatero said the negotiations will be long, tough and difficult en “we will hold them determined and careful, united and loyal and always respectful towards the remembrance of the victims”.
