Iñaki de Juana decided to give up his hunger strike after 63 days: the struggle continue

On October 7 a large demonstration marched through the streets of Donostia
to demand the rights of Basque political prisoners be upheld.

Specifically, the demonstration demanded:

· the right to be released for the approximately 160 prisoners who are
legally entitled to be released,
· the release of the 6 prisoners with serious incurable illnesses and
· the right of the prisoners to be repatriated to jails in the Basque Country

The demonstration, called by organisations from various sections of
society, which have come together under the name of the Ibaeta Forum and
represent the majority of the Basque organised civil society, was aimed at
supporting the prisoners' struggle for their rights, currently embodied in
Iñaki de Juana's long hunger strike.

After this large demonstration, de Juana decided to give up his hunger
strike after 63 days and thanked everybody who in the Basque Country and abroad supported him during these two months prisoners. During this time he was force fed three times, but now, although in a delicate condition, he is recovering at the 12 de
Octubre Hospital in Madrid.

However, on the 27th of this month, he will be tried for publishing two
opinion articles in the Basque daily Gara, for which the prosecution is
requesting 96 years in prison, alleging that through these articles he
committed crimes of "issuing terrorist threats" and "membership of an
armed group". Therefore, we believe it is important to continue to follow
Iñaki's situation and especially, to maintain the pressure in view of this
trial, which is illegitimate and violates his most basic rights and in
view of the possibility of Iñaki being convicted, which would clearly be
unjust.