We already know the sentence of the Spanish National Audience against the pro-amnesty movement. The judge Teresa Palacios has announced that from the 27 Basque citizens who where accused in the trial (everyone denied to declare, saying the National Audience was a political and not-legitimate tribunal), which began on the 21st of April, 21 are being sent to prison (15 immediately) and other 3 have been absolved. 3 citizens, Maitane Méndez, Jorge Luis Arredondo y Mitxel Sarasketa, had been absolved at the beggining of the trial.

Juan Mari Olano, Julen Zelarain and Aitor Jugo are going to prison for 10 years (the prosecution asked for 13). They are accused of ‘integration in a terrorist organisation’, and after serving their sentences with complete inhablitiation, they’ll not be allowed to work in public services for 12 years.

The rest of imprisoned citizens, Jagoba Terrones, Maite Díaz de Heredia, Iker Zubia, Gorka Zulaika, Jon Imanol Beaskoa, Ainhoa Irastorza, Julen Larrinaga, Aratz Estonba, Josu Beaumont, Alex Belasko, Txema Olabarrieta, Gotzon Amaro, Iñaki de Reta, Jorge Txokarro, Gari Arriaga, Iñaki Loizaga, Asier Birunbrales and Xabin Juaristi, are going to prison for 8 years (the prosecution asked for 10). They are accused of ‘integration in a terrorist organisation’, and after serving their sentences with complete inhablitiation, they’ll not be allowed to work in public services for 10 years.

Finally, Julen Arzuaga, Juan Antonio Madariaga and Ixone Urzelai have been absolved. Besides, this tribunal has decided to definitely “ban and dissolve” the Basque pro-amnesty movements ‘Gestoras pro-amnistía’ and ‘Askatasuna’, which had been provissionally banned in 2001 and 2002, by judge Baltasar Garzón.

However, the spokesmen of the pro-amnesty movement have promised to keep on the struggle, working for the civil and political rights of the Basque people as they have been doing for the last four decades. Today, there’ll be mobilizations in all cities and villages of the Basque Country.

· List of 27 accused citizens

The Spanish Supreme Court has only needed one day to publish the first sentence of the trial against ANV and EHAK. This morning, the 61st Room of the SC has announced that ANV is being banned and dissolved according to the Spanish Law of Political Parties, which allows the banning of the political parties who don’t publicly condemn ETA’s activity; that’s why Batasuna was banned, and also ANV, as “continuator of Batasuna”, though it was already created since 1930.

ANV-EAE (Acción Nacionalista Vasca – Eusko Abertzale Ekintza – Basque Nationalist Action) was created in 1930, as a reaction to the PNV’s attitude, who was going to join a conservative party: Comunión Nacionalista Vasca (Basque Nationalist Communion). So it was born in the early 1930s as the first Basque patriotic, social-democratic and republican political party. It worked in the 1936’s first Basque Government and in the Spanish Republican Government as a member of the Popular Front and during the Spanish Civil War it played a little but important role in the anti-fascist front in Euskal Herria (still fighting in some Spanish provinces when Basque front was defeated).

During 40 years of Franco’s dictatorship, EAE-ANV was in hiding. The hiding and exile made ANV take more radical politics, and in the 1960s it was already an indepentist and socialist party. Later, when Franco died and the transition to democracy began, ANV played a role in the creation of Basque patriotic and socialist coalition Herri Batasuna (People’s Union) in 1978. After HB left its activities, Euskal Herritarrok (Basque Citizens) was created; when this coalition decided to become a unique political party (Batasuna) in 2000, ANV decided not to continue working on this.

However, in 2003 Batasuna was banned, and many different and legal political parties were created or decided to work with Batasuna’s political programme (Sozialista Abertzaleak, HZ, Aukera Guztiak,…) and all of them were also banned. In 2005, EHAK (Communist Party of the Basque Homelands) got 9 seats (12′5 %) in the Basque autonomic election. In 2007, ANV appeared as the Basque Patiotic Left Wing’s representation for the municipal elections, but the half of its circunscriptions were banned.

This year, on the 8th of February, Balatasar Garzón, the judge of the National Audience, began a trial against ANV and EHAK, banning their activities for 3 years, provissionally. But today, in the morning of September 16th, ANV has been banned and dissolved, because of its “relationship with Batasuna and its -supposed- colaboration with ETA”. Its material and economic properties belong now to Spanish state.

It’s shameful. Those parties which worked and fought defending the Republic in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) are being banned while the fascist and racist parties that supported a dictatorship for 40 years (Falange) or its continuators (Alianza Nacional, Democracia Nacional, E-2000) are still legal.

FREEDOM FOR THE BASQUE COUNTRY!!

STOP THIS STATE OF EMERGENCY!!!!

Many people injured and five arrested are the result of the banning of the annual demonstration in Donostia’s regatta-day in favour of Basque political prisoners. Twenty one Ertzaintza’s anti-riot vans and more than a hundred policemen in the streets. Furthermore, a secret-agent used his gun and shooted in the air, being the second using of real fire during the last 10 months.

SUMMARY

Javier Balza, the Basque autonomic government’s interior minister, and autonomic police, the Ertzaintza, fulfiled the expectations. Last week they banned a peaceful demonstration in Donostia in favour of Basque political prisoners, for the freedom of those who have served their sentences or are seriously ill (92nd article of Spanish Penal Code).

Yesterday, after the regattas of Donostia (‘Kontxako Estropadak’), the demonstration began at 13.30. Twenty one vans of the anti-riot section of Ertzaintza and dozens of policemen waited on Donostia’s Boulevard. Other two vans were prepared to transfer arrested people, and a helicopter overflied the city. The demonstration began with people shouting “Presoak kalera, amnistia osoa!” (“Prisoners on the street, total amnesty!”). Hundreds and hundreds of posters with different topics: prisoners faces, pro-amnesty, against the continuous ’state of emergency’ in the Basque Country, against the banning of political parties…

When people arrived to where police-forces were, these ones began pushing and hitting demonstrators. Then, people began shouting against the PNV (Partido Nacionalista Vasco – Basque Nationalist Party) and the Ertzaintza, and also in favour of the freedom for all the Basque political prisoners, who are more than seven hundred. That was the moment when the first two demonstrators were arrested; then, hooded groups began throwing bottles and stones against the police, who responded shooting plastic-bullets.

However, the demonstration continued when hundreds of people joined and walked through streets near the Boulevard, until they got to Okendo street, where the Ertzaintza attacked and separated them. When the Boulevard seemed to be relaxed, riots continued near from there, in the Alde Zaharra (the ‘Old Part’), which was full of people (not only demonstrators, also tourists, inhabitants and people in the taverns) because of the regattas. Then was the third arrest, when policemen violently took a young man from a bar. In Constitución Square, the police had to run away from the riots.

Later, a secret-policeman was identified by demonstrators, who shouted ‘txakurra’ (‘dog’, a typical nickname used for ‘policeman’). He had been discovered, so he used his gun and while pointing people, he shooted eight real bullets in the air. Two more people were arrested and more than five were hurt -one of them was hurt by a plastic-bullet in the head, which made him bleed from his ear, being immediately evacuated by the anbulance-. Finally, at mid-afternoon, the Ertzaintza left the city, so peace and party came back to the streets of Donostia. Arrested people were released at night, but they’ll have to go to tribunals because of ‘public disordering’.

Juan José Rego Vidal began a hunger and thirst strike on 10th of September; although he has already left it, the pro-amnesty movement and Basque people have dennounced his shameful situation, which shows the cruel reality of all the Basque political prisoners.

Rego is from Intxaurrondo (a neighbourhood of Donostia), he’s 69 and suffers many illnesses. He was arrested on 9th of August of 1995, accused of ‘colaboration with ETA’. Now, after 12 years, he’s still in Mansillas de las Mulas (in León). Recently, the pro-amnesty movement has been campaigning for the immediate liberation of the prisoners who have already served their sentences and those who are seriously ill. Rego is one of the fourteen Basque seriously-ill prisoners still kidnapped in Spanish jails:

1. HEALTH SITUATION: He has a brain-vascular illness (since 1988), diabetes Mellitus and hypertension (since 1993). As consequence of these illnesses, he also has a diabetic retinopathy, he’s developing cataracts and seriously losing vision of both eyes. Neurosensory hypoacusia. Prostatic hypertrophy. Vitamin B-12 deficiency. On November of 2005, he suffered a thrombosis attack so he has partially lost vision and movement-deficiency in his left leg. For 6 months he suffered memory-loss, dizziness and nose bleed. His case is described as “very serious” by the doctors; in fact, any 69-years-old person who had those illnesses, even being out of prison, would need continuous care and ongoing.

2. JURIDICAL SITUATION: Conviction for 20 years. On 18th January of 2004 he asked to the DGIP (General Direction of Penitenciary Institutions) his transfer to a prison in the Basque Country; it was denied. In May, he asked again to the Central JVP (Penitentiary Surveillance Court); denied. On the 1st of December of 2005, he requested the interruption of his conviction to de 2nd Room of Penal Issues of the National Audience; on the 13rd of February of 2006 the 2nd Room decides not to accept his request. On the 1st of December of 2006 requested the conditional release to the Central JVP of the National Audience because of serious and incurable-illness (92nd article of Spanish Penal Code). On 14th of March of 2007: his health-situatuion got worse, so he requested a medical consultation in Hospital Donostia. 30th of March: his conditional release is denied. 23rd of May: his medical consultation is denied. 31st of July: the Central JVP of the National Audience accepts his medical-consultation in the Ophthalmology service of Hospital Donostia.

BEGGINING OF HUNGER AND THIRST STRIKE

On the 11th of September, Juanjo Rego was being transfered to Hospital Donostia with authorization, but the day before he was told the transfer had been cancelled: he was going to be transfered definitely to a prison in the Basque Country, but he had to wait ten days more.

Then, as he told his family, his “patience was over”, and he decided to stop taking his medicines and began a hunger and thirst strike. However, yesterday (11th of September), at night, he decided to interrupt his strike because his demands were finally accepted: he’s being transfered to a prison in the Basque Country as immediate as possible.

Although Rego’s struggle has partially got its objective (partially because he should be free, not in prison) and ended, it has shown the real situation of the Basque political prisoners, especially the seriously-ill ones’. What credibility could have the Spanish “democracy” when they don’t accept even their own law, their own rules?

Source: ASKATASUNA

IMMEDIATE FREEDOM FOR PRISONERS WHO HAVE ALREADY SERVED THEIR SENTENCES AND THOSE WHO ARE SERIOUSLY ILL!!

Baltasar Garzón, the judge of the Spanish National Audience, has begun the trial against more than twenty Basque citizens, accused of receiving money from the political party EHAK (Euskal Herrialdeetako Alderdi Komunista – Communist Party of the Basque Homelands) when they worked for it. EHAK, being the representation of the Patriotic Left Wing in the Basque Parliament -Batasuna and ‘Aukera Guztiak’ were illegal- with 150.188 votes (12,5% / 9 seats), had all its activities illegalized for three years since February of 2008, by Garzón.

Yesterday, six of those citizens were interrogated. All of them refused to declare anything, because they were being judged “by a war tribunal that represses Basque people’s rights”. Garzón told them they where accused of colaboration with ETA, and that’s why they can go to prison between 5 and 12 years. The supposed relationship between EHAK and the armed organisation is that “the leadership of the Basque National Liberation Movement -the supposed unique coordination-net of ETA and its ’social and politcal branches’- payed the activities of the politcal party”.

A global offensive

Apart from this trial against Basque citizens, there are still some political trials against the Patriotic Left Wing, so before de 22nd of September the Supreme Tribunal will publicly announce the sentence against the politcal parties EHAK and EAE-ANV about their legal situation. Besides, the sentence against the pro-amnesty movement, Askatasuna, is expected to be announced this month, the same as the trial against Udalbiltza -organisation of elected members of political institutions all around the seven provinces of the Basque Country-, which is beggining very soon.

The Basque government (its interior minister, Javier Balza) has forbidden the usual demonstration the Basque Patriotic Left Wing organises every year in favour of the rights of the political prisoners, the same day of the 2nd journey of ‘Kontxako Estropadak’, the traditional regatta-challenge of Donostia: the 14th of September.

There are more than 800 Basque political prisoners, isolated and dispersed in different jails along Spanish and French states. Many of them are systematicly tortured. There are lots of prisoners literally kidnapped, with serious illnesses or having finished their condemns. The pro-amnesty movement, Askatasuna, campaigns in favour of the rights of these prisoners, being this demonstration one of its most important acts during the year.

Although for the last 30 years it’s been legal and peaceful, last year, the demonstration was forbidden and the Basque autonomic police, the ‘Ertzaintza’, brutally stopped it; then, violent riots began between the police and the angry people. That’s why Balza, the interior minister, says he has forbidden it, “to avoid the riots of the last year”. (* See the video)

This prohibition, in the context of the last days’ political and police offensive against the Basque independentist movement, shows the intention of the Spanish and Basque autonomic governments, which prefer to continue with repression rather than finding a solution. But the people will protest and fight for the prisoners’ rights while they are being violated, so the demonstration hasn’t been cancelled.

Last two weeks have been very hard for the Basque independentist youth, specially in the Basque province of Nafarroa, because the Spanish militar police (the ‘Guardia Civil’) has kidnapped seven people, accused of violent rioting and ‘terrorist activities’ (supposed to be militants of Segi or Ekin). Some of them have denounced tortures while they where isolated because of the ‘anti-terrorist law’. These are the victims of the policial operation, ordered by the judge Grande-Marlaska:

· LUIS GOÑI /arrested the 24th of August / denounced tortures / imprisoned

· XABIER SAGARDOI /arrested the 24th of August / denounced tortures / imprisoned

· ALBERTO LÓPEZ /arrested the 27th of August / denounced tortures / imprisoned

· MAIDER CAMINOS /arrested the 30th of August / imprisoned

· AMAIA LEGARRA /arrested the 31st of August / Free

· MAITANE INTXAURRAGA /arrested the 31st of August / imprisoned

· NOÉ LÓPEZ /arrested the 31st of August / free after being hospitalized twice

STOP REPRESSION AGAINST THE BASQUE COUNTRY!!

FREEDOM FOR BASQUE POLITICAL PRISONERS!!!