INTERNATIONAL MEDIATOR COMMENDS BATASUNA'S NEW INITIATIVE

South African mediator Brian Currin analyses the chances for peace in the Basque Country and talks about the facilitation work he has been carrying out with the pro-independence left.

WEEKLY BASQUE INFO RADIO PROGRAM

Listen to this week's Basque Info. Along with our news section this week you'll find an interview with Basque Human Right's Watch's spokesperson.

PRO-INDEPENDENCE UNITY DEBATE HIGH ON AGENDA

Basque Info 28/10/09 

•  Arrests and demonstration speed up debate about nationalist common strategy.
  
• Thousands demand official recognition for Basque language in the north. 
  
• United Nations against arbitrary political imprisonments.
• Widespread support for Basque prisoners’ repatriation.

-Arrests and demonstration speed up debate about nationalist common strategy.

On the 17^th of October more than 37,000 people rallied against the arrest of ten prominent Basque pro-independence activists in previous days. The powerful response to the attack and the unity showed by all sections of Basque nationalism has deeply worried the Spanish establishment and it has created great hope in Basque society. 


The days following the protest have seen nationalist politicians talking once again about the political nature of the arrests. According to them the Spanish authorities wanted to prevent the Basque pro-independence movement from developping a new strategy based on exclusively political and democratic means . That’s why most Basque nationalist parties and trade unions have extensively spoken in recent days about the need to build a united strategy to confront the Spanish state in political terms. Some discussion documents have been also produced and the debate is already under way.



The pro-independence left welcomed the positive reactions after the arrests and released a statement drawing some conclusions: the loss of legitimacy by the Spanish state and its repressive measures, the social demand for the Basque pro-independence left to be able to take part in politics, the existence of conditions to go further towards a democratic scenario and the leadership showed by the pro-independence left when it launched a strategic proposal for debate among its grassroots and society.  


This new agenda has created anger and frustration among the Spanish authorities. In the weeks before the arrests the Spanish Interior Minister met with Basque nationalist parties and media to ask them to support his strategy against the pro-independence left. 


Some reports say that days before the arrests Arnaldo Otegi, Batasuna’s spokesperson, met in London with international mediators, who took part in the negotiation process until 2007, to explain to them the Basque pro-independence left’s new strategy. Otegi also told them they expected to be arrested when it was launched. 


The arrests of the pro-independence leadership have become a boomerang against the Spanish authorities and their strategies and has strengthened Basque nationalist unity and international support. 


Basque activists indicted in different political cases held a press conference last week to express their hope that the 37,000-strong demonstration will lead to more common initiatives to stop Spanish repression and to support civil and political rights. They said it’s time for Basque society to denounce and respond to the permanent attacks against the Basque Country. They reminded those present that more political trials like those against the Basque councillors national institution Udalbiltza, dozens of pro-independence youth activists and the Basque language newspaper editorial team will begin in coming weeks.

-Thousands demand official recognition for Basque language in the north.
More than 5,000 people rallied in the northern Basque town of Baiona to ask the French authorities for legal recognition of the Basque language. Basque is not official in the north of the Basque Country despite the huge popular support due to the French government’s hard line against languages other than French within the state. 

Politicians of all backgrounds took part in the demonstration. Among them were the Region’s General Councillor and French right-wing party RPR’s spokesperson Max Brisson, French Socialist Party and Green Party’s local branches’ senior members, mayors and councillors...Among all of them Basque nationalists were a majority. 


Speakers at the end of the rally told the French authorities “they won’t put the Basques in a museum’s cage. The Basque language needs official status."


-United Nations against arbitrary political imprisonments.

Last week the United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions spoke out about the case of Batasuna’s spokesperson Karmelo Landa. He was arrested and imprisoned, accused of being a member of the outlawed Batasuna party. 


According to the report Landa was badly treated after his arrest and humiliated in prison. The report claims his detention and imprisonment are absolutely arbitrary. The UN working group considers that mere political activism is not an offence and that the Spanish authorities are breaching numerous international human and civil rights such as the right to a fair trial, freedom of speech and association. They also asked the Spanish authorities to immediately release Landa. 


The Spanish authorities have once again disobeyed United Nations recommendations. 


The Basque Human Rights Watch Behatokia welcomed the report and said it could apply to any other of the dozens of Basque political and social activists imprisoned.
 
-Widespread support for Basque prisoners’ repatriation.
More than 2,500 people have already signed a petition launched by the Basque prisoners’ relatives’s association Etxerat to demand the repatriation of their loved ones.   


Last Saturday a massive press conference was held outside the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao to launch the petition. Among the dozens of people who were showing support for the demand at the press conference were well known political, cultural and social activists, writers, journalists...etc. 


Speakers at the press conference spoke against the criminalisation campaign launched by the Spanish authorities and media against Etxerat.  


The petition called Elkartasun Uholdea (Solidarity Flood) demands the repatriation of Basque prisoners and the recognition of all their rights. 


Last week former Basque political prisoner Josetxo Otegi was handed over to the Spanish police by French authorities. He had been on hunger strike for more than two weeks to protest against this illegal practice and the risk of being tortured. He was finally released and was welcomed in his home town of Donostia/San Sebastian. 


Also last week 40 councillors tried to meet the French government’s secretary of state in Baiona. They wanted to ask him anout the whereabouts of former Basque political prisoner Jon Anza who went missing six months ago. The French official refused to meet the people’s representatives and they handed over a letter denouncing the French authorities’ lack of interest in finding out what happened and their complicity in the disappearance.








 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIATOR DEFENDS BATASUNA'S PROPOSAL

South African international mediator Brian Currin confirms and commends Batasuna's new political initiative and ask others to back it. He assures the suggested democratic process would get international support.

BOOMERANG EFFECT AGAINST SPANISH ATTACKS

Basque Info 21/10/09
• Forceful response to attack against the Basque pro-independence movement.
• Another sucessful display of support to the Basque language.
• Largest ever demonstration against High Speed Train.
• More political trials and more arrests.


-Forceful response to attack against the Basque pro-independence movement.

On Tuesday 13 October, 10 prominent activists, including Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi and former general secretary of the LAB trade union Rafa Diez, were arrested and accused of trying to "reorganise the leadership" of the Basque pro-independence left movement. Five of the 10 were arrested in a raid on the national headquarters of the LAB union in Donostia.

On Friday Judge Baltasar Garzon sent Otegi, Diez and three others to jail, accused of "membership of a terrorist organisation" and of trying to reconstitute the pro-independence Batasuna party on the "orders of ETA". Batasuna was outlawed in 2003.

Hundreds of people took to the streets and students organised strikes in the aftermath of the arrests.

A massive protest was held on Saturday 17 October in Donostia/San Sebastian to protest against the Spanish government's new wave of arrests against the Basque pro-independence movement.

More than 37,000 Basques protested against the arrests under the slogan "For liberty, all rights for all” in a very significant demonstration of unity among Basque society. The demonstration had been called by the majority of trade unions and supported by all Basque nationalist and progressive political parties.
The demonstration was the largest in the Basque Country in many years and even the pro-Spanish media had to recognise the huge success.

Statements of support also came from across the world like the World Federation of Trade Unions and the European Free Alliance. In Ireland, Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún and the Irish Basque Solidarity Committees cqalled for an end to such repression and the immediate release of those arrested and told the Spanish government they need to engage in dialogue with those they seek to demonise and criminalise. “This is the only way to reach a lasting settlement in the Basque Country” they concluded.

The Dublin Basque Solidarity Committee organised a protest outside the GPO on Sunday.

Batasuna responded to the arrests by saying: "The aim of these arrests is to stop political initiatives that the Basque pro-independence movement was due to activate - political initiatives to resolve the ongoing conflict and to create a democratic scenario for the Basque Country."

On Monday 19 the Basque pro-independence newspaper Gara published extracts from a 36-page debate document presented for discussion among the grass roots by Batasuna’s leadership. This discussion and its practical conclusions is what the Spanish government seems to fear and what they wanted to prevent with last week’s arrests.

In the document a new effective strategy is suggested. Batasuna’s leadership wants to promote a democratic process without any violence and external interference.

The latest arrests are part of the Spanish government's ongoing campaign of repression against political, social, labour and cultural organisations that are in favour of self-determination for the Basque Country. The central thesis of this criminalisation campaign, as formulated by Judge Garzon, is that “everything that surrounds ETA is ETA” , that is, any group or individual that shares ETA's goal of Basque independence, regardless of what methods they use, is part of ETA.

This process has often been led by politicians and the media but is given a 'democratic' cover and institutionalised by the Spanish courts through a series of judicial rulings initiated by Garzon in 1998.

The repression against all expressions of Basque nationalism has escalated dramatically during the summer, with the Madrid government working in concert with the Spanish chauvinist coalition government that took power in the south-west of the Basque Country in March.

-Another sucessful display of support to the Basque language.
Up to 100,000 people attended the annual day long festival to support the Basque language schools in the province of Navarre. This year’s edition was organised by the local school of Lakuntza with the slogan “Txikiak, handi” (The small ones are big).

Young and old came from across the Basque Country to enjoy lots of different activities like gigs, sport, food, street animation, workshops, cultural displays... 3,000 volunteers worked hard to make sure everything went well.

The money raised will help to build a new building for the Lakuntza Basque medium school.

These massive festivals are organised in each province of the Basque Country every year and become both a great way to fundraise for the vitally necessary Basque medium schools and to promote the Basque language.

Each year a different school organises the festival. It takes around 300 volunteers working for two years to organise it.


-Largest ever demonstration against High Speed Train.
12,000 people demonstrated in Baiona in the north of the Basque Country last Saturday against the construction of a new High Speed Train railway.

Over the last few years different plans to build High Speed Train railways across the Basque Country have been opposed by large sections of Basque society with the pro-independence left movement at the core of the protest campaigns.

ETA has also intervened with small bombs and the killing of a main contractor.

The High Speed Train would put the Basque Country’s future at risk due to the environmental destruction and huge consumption of energy and public funds.

-More political trials and more arrests.
Last Friday seven members of the Pro-Amnesty movement were arrested and taken to prison to fulfil the remaining sentences imposed against them by the Spanish Supreme Court for their political work against repression and in favour of the Basque political prisoners. They had been waiting for the outcome of their appeal.

Another 13 members of the movement were already in jail after all of them were sentenced to between 8 and 10 years in prison. Basque political prisoners do their time to the full.

The hard sentence has been understood within a context of political repression aimed to weaken the pro-independence movement and prevent new political developments that could take the Basque Country to a new scenario of peace and democracy.

Last week the first of a long list of trials began against alleged members of Segi, the pro-independence youth organisation. Over the last two years 16 police operations were launched in different parts of the Basque Country and 123 local youth activists were arrested, of whom 69 reported being tortured and 91 were imprisoned. All of them were well known youth movement activists in their towns involved in cultural, political and social public work.

Demonstrations, fasts, strikes, massive press conferences...have been organised recently to denounce these show trials and support the youth.

Two alleged ETA members were arrested by the French police on Monday 19 in Britanny. The Spanish media portrayed them as members of the ETA’s political office and tried to make conections with last week arrests of 10 prominent pro-independence activists.

MAJORITY OF BASQUE TRADE UNIONS CALL NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION AGAINST ARRESTS

CALL FOR URGENT SOLIDARITY WITH THE BASQUE TRADE UNION L.A.B.
TO ALL FRATERNAL CENTRES

14TH October 2009

Yesterday afternoon, 13th October, the Police invaded the national headquarters of the LAB trade union and arrested five activists of the Basque pro-Independence Left, among them the ex-General Secretary of LAB, Rafael Diez Usabiaga. This was all within a police operation in which a total of ten people have been detained.
This attack seeks to criminalise political and trade union work within the Basque Country.

From the Headquarters of LAB we rededicate ourselves to the trade union struggle in defence of the Basque working class and in the Right which our nation has to decide its own future. Our best response is to continue working and in struggle.
Alongside this message we send a communication directed at all trade union centres and fraternal organisations.

• We seek the setting free with immediate effect of our brother, Rafael Diez Usabiaga, ex-Secretary General of LAB, as well as of all the other arrested people.
• We also denounce at the same time the attack on our headquarters in Donostia/ San Sebastian and demand that there be no future attack on our headquarters.
• We call for support for the mobilisations that will take place in the coming days in the Basque Country to protest these actions.
• We seek solidarity from all trade unions of the class across the world and we ask them to send us their messages of solidarity to the following electronic address: nazioartea@labsindikatua.org

SPAIN AGAINST POLITICAL RESOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT

Listen to Basque Info reports and interviews on the last Spanish attack against the Basque pro-independence left. 10 prominent activists were arrested yesterday and they have been acussed of reorganising the movement's political leadership to try to stand in next elections.

NEW REPORT POINTS AT SPANISH POLICE FOR JON ANZA'S DISAPPEARANCE

You can listen to this week's Basque Info including the main news of the week and an interview with political analyst Inaki Soto:



Basque Info 6/10/09
• First hearing against Basque political exile Arturo “Benat” Villanueva held in Belfast.
• New report points at Spanish police for Jon Anza’s disappearance.
• Despite criminalisation Basque prisoners’ relatives will keep the solidarity flame alive.
• United Nations Special Rapporteur criticises Spanish authorities.
• Huge support for Basque language.

-First hearing against Basque political exile Arturo “Benat” Villanueva held in Belfast.
Last Monday a hearing was held in Belfast's high court against Basque political exile Arturo “Benat” Villanueva. The defendant’s barrister argued the case based on the lack of particularity in the Spanish European Arrest Warrant. No place, date or degree of participation is specified in the warrant and that should be enough to turn it down. The nature of the warrant strengthens the political character of it and the lack of arguments for the extradition.

45 people held a support rally outside the court buildings. Supporters heard from Andersonstown Sinn Féin representative and newly co-opted Belfast City Councillor Caoimhín Mac Giolla Mhín, who has been involved in solidarity work with the Basque Country for many years.

Speaking at the event, Mr Mac Giolla Mhín said: “The Spanish government is intensifying its campaign of criminalisation against a wide range of peaceful political, cultural and youth organisations that support independence for the Basque Country.

“We can see the impact of this campaign here in Belfast, where the Spanish authorities are pursuing Iñaki de Juana and Arturo Beñat Villanueva solely for their political ideas and not for any criminal activity.

“Sinn Féin support the petition against the extradition attempts. We demand that the Spanish government respects the fundamental human, civil and political rights of the Basque people as laid out in the UN Declaration of Human Rights and that it ends its campaign of criminalisation against the Basque pro-independence movement.

“We support the human right of Iñaki and Beñat not to be persecuted by the Spanish government for their political opinions.

“We call on the British government to immediately reject the extradition requests and to refuse to collaborate with the Spanish government in this political persecution.

“And we fully support the right of Iñaki de Juana and Arturo Beñat Villanueva to live freely in Ireland.”

Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún also showed her support.

The judge will take a decision in coming days. If he doesn’t agree with the defendant’s arguments a full hearing will be called.

The Campaign is calling another protest for when Iñaki de Juana’s hearing begins in November.

-New report points at Spanish police for Jon Anza’s disappearance.
ETA militant Jon Anza went missing on the 18th of April. Since then his organisation and his family have claimed he was probably kidnapped and killed by Spanish security forces. For the last 6 months the Basque Country has seen demonstrations and posters flooding the streets asking for Jon’s whereabouts while the mass media and politicians remained silent.

Last week Basque newspaper Gara revealed that according to trusted sources Jon Anza would have been dragged off a train going to the southern French city of Toulouse by Spanish police and then taken for interrogation. Jon, who was very ill and almost blind at the time, would have been killed by the Spanish police during the questioning. Then he’d have been buried in some unknown place in France. The degree of the French authorities' participation, if any, is also unknown.

Another four Basque pro-independence activists have been kidnapped, interrogated, threatened and even some tortured by some sort of Spanish para-police forces during 2009.

Immediately after the new report was published Baiona’s general prosecutor called a press conference and said she was following the case very closely and was ready to take into account any new evidence surrounding the case. In contrast with the great interest shown by northern Basque and French media the main media in the southern Basque Country and Spain as well as the politicians kept silent after the new report emerged.

Many of Jon Anza’s friends held a press conference and denounced the establishment’s silence and the lack of investigation around Jon’s disappearance. They said an authoritarian state has set up a true state of exception in the Basque Country. They called on the Basque people to rally against the dirty war and for a democratic solution to the conflict on the 12th of October, the Spanish national day, in all Basque southern capitals.

-Despite criminalisation Basque prisoners’ relatives will keep the solidarity flame alive.
Spanish media and politicians have recently suggested the Basque political prisoners’ relatives association Etxerat should be banned. At a press conference last week Etxerat’s spokespeople said their association is made up of people coming from all political backgrounds in the Basque Country. They said they were forced to organise themselves to denounce the government’s brutal policies against their relatives in jail and the cruel dispersal policy that forces families to travel hundreds of miles to visit them.

Despite the criminalisation campaign against them they said that while the criminal prison policies are implemented and their relatives’ rights are denied they’ll keep the love and solidarity candle lit.

At another press conference in Irunea/Pamplona’s main square one hundred people who have been arrested and indicted for showing their public support to the 741 Basque political prisoners said that nowadays people are being arrested for things that weren’t an offence during the Franco regime. They said that for any prisoners’ picture the police takes away they will replace it with one hundred.
Over the last weekend Basque Region’s Interior Minister’s house appeared covered with dozens of Basque political prisoners’ pictures.

370 people gathered in the village of Errezil to show support to their local political prisoner Maritxu Uzkudun who has recently seen her sentence extended for another 12 years. According to the law she should have been released last August after 18 years in jail but due to the new measures imposed by the Spanish government the tribunals are prolonging Basque prisoners' sentences, implementing an effective and anti-constitutional life sentence.

A Basque prisoner’s friend suffered an accident last weekend on his way to a jail visit. As a consequence the car was completely destroyed. Accidents like this and even more serious happen every weekend when thousands of people travel from the Basque Country for hundreds of miles to visit their loved ones in jail. 16 relatives and friends have been killed during the last 20 years in this way. The Spanish authorities dispersal policy is an illegal added punishment against the Basque prisoners’ relatives and friends. The 741 Basque political prisoners are scattered in 82 jails across France and Spain.

-United Nations Special Rapporteur criticises Spanish authorities.
United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism Martin Scheinin delivered a conference in Bilbao last week. In 2008 he published a report where he criticised the Spanish government’s Parties’ Law, the Basque prisoners’ dispersal policy and the incommunicado detention period.

During his conference he told the audience the Spanish government didn’t follow his recomendations. Scheinin repeated his arguments against the use of the terrorism offence definition being extended to political conducts and organisations.
He shared the panel with the Basque Autonomous Region’s Interior Minister and he said he didn’t think it was right to take down prisoners’ pictures.

-Huge support for Basque language.
More than 100,000 people attended the annual Gipuzkoa province’s Basque language schools’ festival in Donostia/San Sebastian last Sunday.
The six-kilometre circuit was flooded with the huge crowed and sometimes it was overwhelmed. Six different rest areas were organised where the participants could enjoy food, drinks, street animation, workshops, clowns, live music and more.
Once again the Basque people showed their support to the national language and the money raised will help to build new premises for this year’s organiser school.
Annual festivals of this kind are organised in each of the Basque provinces with similar success.

THOUSANDS COMMEMORATE BASQUE SOLDIER'S DAY

Basque Info 29/09/09

• ETA shows total will for a democratic solution.
• Dead volunteers remembered across the country despite prohibitions.
• 25 Spanish fascist attacks claimed while authorities keep silent.
• Tribunal allows the display of Basque political prisoners pictures.
• Prisoners and extraditions.


-ETA shows total will for a democratic solution.
Last Sunday the Basque pro-independence armed organization ETA released the traditional Gudari Eguna or Basque Soldier’s Day’s statement. In it, ETA announces the internal debate started in May has already finished.

ETA reaffirms its commitment to continue with the armed struggle while the Basque Country’s enemies continue with repression and denial. At the same time ETA says their will has always been to find a political way out to the political conflict. ETA reasserts its will and total disposition to continue seeking this solution.

According to ETA in order to be able to reach a scenario of self-determination in the Basque Country a democratic process has to be developed. For that ETA understands that it’s absolutely necessary that all nationalists come together. ETA says it will promote that path.

ETA also addresses the Spanish authorities by saying “they repeat once and again that they won’t talk to ETA while the armed struggle exists. That’s not the conflict’s main knott! The Spanish authorities know that the problem is not ETA. They know that the problem is with the Basque people’s political will.” ETA goes on to say that by opening the doors to that will the conflict will be solved.

ETA asks the Spanish government: “In a scenario without ETA’s armed struggle, would you be ready to accept a process where all the Basques territories could decide their political future independence included?”

Finally ETA pays tribute to all dead volunteers and prisoners.

-Dead volunteers remembered across the country despite prohibitions.
On the 27th of September 1975 the Franco regime executed two ETA volunteers and three Spanish antifascist militants. Since then the 27th of September is the Basque Soldier’s Day. This year all commemorations were banned by the Spanish authorities and many of them had to take place in secret.

Hundreds of people attended the national commemoration in an unknown venue. Speakers thanked those who attended for the effort they put in. They came from across the country and had to take side roads and cross police check points to get there. The atmosphere was electric and the audience only stopped their chants and cheers when two dancers paid tribute to the dead volunteers and their families.

One of the speakers said that for the last 50 years the pro-independence left has been fighting to keep the Basque Country alive and that it’s needed to strength the pro-independence movement’s leadership and the struggle for independence and socialism. The speaker said the fight must keep on at this very important stage when new opportunities are unfolding. According to the speaker these opportunities appear now thanks to the sacrificies and efforts made by the dead volunteers and others.

Demonstrations and events to remember the dead volunteers were attacked by the police and there were many clashes with pro-independence activists. Six of them were arrested in Donostia/San Sebastian. In the same city but during the morning a rally was organised to remember the 30th anniversary of the assasination of local pro-independence councillor Tomas Alba. The speakers criticised the city council’s attitude of ignoring this case of the dirty war while they pay tribute to the so called “terrorism victims”. In Arrasate they remembered the 25th anniversary of Pakito Arriaran’s death. He was an ETA militant and then he joined the FMLN guerrilla in El Salvador where he died in the frontline against the right wing dictatorship.

In Zarautz’s cemetery the Basque-Spanish police prevented the relatives of Txiki, one of the 1975 executed ETA volunteers from paying him the annual tribute. The volunteer’s 80 year-old mother, outraged and visibly nervous, asked the masked policemen why she couldn’t visit her son’s grave. She asked them: “are you so afraid of the dead?”. Txiki’s brother said this was the first time in 34 years they had to suffer the police’s harassment.

Despite all bannings, threats and attacks, more than 50 events and demonstrations took place across the Basque Country during the Basque Soldier’s Day to remember the dead volunteers.

One small bomb exploded outside a bank in the north of the Basque Country, another one at a Spanish Labour Party’s offices in Lemoa and another one outside a Basque-Spanish police man’s house.


-25 Spanish fascist attacks claimed while authorities keep silent.
Last Tuesday a Spanish fascist organization claimed responsability for 25 attacks in the Basque Country. We have reported these attacks in previous Basque Infos and they include attacks against Basque pro-independence bars and private properties, dead volunteers memorials and death threats.

These attacks have been ignored by the authorities and nobody has been arrested in relation to them.

The Basque pro-independence movement denounced the authorities’ hypocrisy and lack of interest and said these attacks are part of the Spanish repression wave including dirty war.

-Tribunal allows the display of Basque political prisoners pictures.
Last week the Basque regional Justice Tribunal released a decision which allows relatives and friends to display the Basque political prisoners’ pictures in three events in Arrasate. The Basque region’s government reacted with anger as well as the pro-Spanish parties. They now threaten the banning of Etxerat, the Basque political prisoners’ relatives association.

During the summer the Basque-Spanish police has attacked and harassed solidarity events, arrested and indicted people and have taken down pictures. Just last weekend four people were arrested for wearing stickers with Basque prisoners’ pictures.

Last week also the Gipuzkoa’s province’s parliament passed a motion against the attacks against Basque prisoners pictures.


-Prisoners and extraditions.
After 17 days on hunger strike Basque political prisoner Aintzane Orkolaga was finally handed over to the Spanish police by the French authorities. In the end she was released and went back home where friends and relatives gave her a warm welcome.

Basque political prisoner Belen Gonzalez had to be taken to hospital after suffering an internal hemoarrage. Her relatives have denounced the lack of information from the authorities and they expressed their concern about they way she’ll be treated.

Basque political exile Mikel Barrios saw his extradition warrant rejected by the French authorities after being arrested three months ago. The Spanish authorities acussed him of being member of the pro-independence organization Segi but didn’t produce any evidence.

Next Monday 5th of October another Basque political exile, Arturo “Benat” Villanueva will attend in Belfast the first hearing of the extradition case launched against him by the Spanish authorities. They also acussed him of being member of the pro-independence youth organizations Jarrai and Haika. The Don’t Extradite the Basques Campaign has called a protest outside the court buildings at 2pm.

AFTER FIVE MONTHS: WHERE IS JON?

Basque Info 22/09/09

• A demonstration marks five months since Jon Anza’s dissapearance.
• Three new dirty war cases publicly denounced.
• Thousands gather for civil and political rights.
• Basque political prisoner in hunger strike.


-A demonstration marks five months since Jon Anza’s dissapearance.
Last Saturday more than 2,000 people walked the streets of Donibane-Lohitzune/St. Jéan-de-Luz behind a banner reading “Where is Jon? We want the truth”. Thousands more couldn’t attend the rally due to the Spanish police check points set at the border between the south and north of the Basque Country.

Former Basque political prisoner Jon Anza went missing on the 18th of April. He went to live in the northern Basque Country after being released from a Spanish jail due to his fear of being arrested again. He had been living there for some years until his familly lost all communication with him. One month later ETA released a statement in which they said Jon was a militant of the armed organisation and he was on his way to a meeting when he was disappeared. ETA said the police had known for some time he was a member of the organisation and accused the Spanish secret services of making him disappear.

No more news has emerged for the past five months and the main media and political parties remain silent around the case.

Despite this, thousands of posters, leaflets, banners, t-shirts...can be seen everywhere in the Basque Country asking where is Jon and protests and demonstrations take place every week.

At the end of the rally speakers said that the general silence imposed surrounding the case make them feel outraged and that it clearly shows this is a political kidnapping.

They compared it with other cases during the worst years of the Spanish dirty war in the 80’s and with the Argentina and Chile cases in the 70’s. They called upon the Basque society to keep their memory alive and comfort the relatives of the disappeared. They said they won’t allow anyone to take their dignity away from them and that they’ll keep fighting for the truth.


-Three new dirty war cases publicly denounced.
Last week at a press conference three Basque young people, helped by relatives, friends and members of the pro-amnesty movement, denounced police threats, harassment and kidnapping.

Dani Saralegi was kidnapped on the 22nd of March for seven hours by two men. After months of living in fear he finally got enough strength to denounce it publicly. During the seven hours he was asked about his work in Gora Irunea!, an umbrella group established to promote Basque culture and popular festivals. Dani is a well known social and political activist in his home town Irunea/Pamplona and is the spokesperson of this umbrella group.

Imanol Pancorbo was approached by two men while on holidays in Alicante who asked him to collaborate with them. They threatened him with putting him in jail for 15 years if he didn’t.

Saioa Zerain said she’s been receiving calls from an unknown number since July. The unknown caller tells her they know her and that they have someting for her.

The pro-amnesty movement spokesperson at the press conference denounced the fact that repression is increasing and spreading to new areas. He said a real “state of exception” has been imposed in the Basque Country and reminded people of other dirty war actions like three kidnappings and the dissapearance of Jon Anza. He called upon Basque people to denounce these incidents and to respond to repression.

-Thousands gather for civil and political rights.
Last Sunday more than 4,000 people took part in the day long program of events organised during the second edition of the Bat Egin Eguna, a day to join forces and efforts in favour of civil and political rights. The main focus of the day were those who are in jail for belonging to social and political organizations. One of them, 72-year-old Jose Luis Elkoro, who addressed the crowd during the first edition, sent a letter from jail and it was read at the main rally. He encouraged everybody to keep going forward and not to fall into frustration. He was sentenced to 8 years for being one of the funders of the pro-independence and leftist Egin newspaper.

The former director of Egunkaria, the Basque language newspaper closed down by the Spanish authorities in 2002, was the second one to address the audience. He said their trial will start in November and asked everybody to take part in the solidarity protests. He said it’s time to end with the political persecution.

The thousands of people who attended the day's events enjoyed street animation, clowns for children, gigs, food and more despite the bad weather forecast, the Spanish authorities' threats to ban the events and the strong check points the Spanish police set at the entrance of Lakuntza village.

-Basque political prisoner in hunger strike.
On the 27th of September Basque political prisoner Aintzane Olarkoaga will be released after doing her sentence in France. She suspects she will be taken from the jail’s gates to the Spanish border and be handed over to Spanish police. Despite being an illegal practice this is the usual fate former Basque prisoners have to endure in France. Once they are in the hands of the Spanish they are in great risk of being tortured. On the 10th of September she began a hunger strike to protest against that situation.

Over the weekend Aintzane’s supporters protested outside the Bapaume jail where she is being held. Another 60 people gathered in Hendaia to send her strength and solidarity.

ETA's offensive against Spanish state

Listen to Basque Info with interview with Julen Arzuaga, former director of Behatokia, Basque Human Rights Watch.



Basque Info 4/07/09
• ETA’s offensive kills two Spanish cops.
• Pro-independence councillor dies after being harassed by police.
• Basque newspaper directors finally charged.

-ETA’s offensive kills two Spanish cops.
In the early hours of last Wednesday ETA destroyed the Spanish Guardia Civil police headquarters in Burgos, northern Spain. 50 people were injured.
Just 34 hours later a bomb attached to a Guardia Civil car killed two policemen in Majorca. Another bomb attached to another police car was deactivated in the same place.

The ETA offensive comes as the Spanish authorities have repeated once again that the Basque pro-independence armed organszation was almost defeated. The week of the attack has been marked by some historians as the 50th anniversary of the creation of ETA.

The Basque pro-independence movement has pointed out after the attacks that the Spanish authorities have repeated the same line constantly for 50 years and ETA hasn’t been defeated.

The pro-independence left said after the attacks that there is not a police problem with ETA but a political conflict with the Basque people. The pro-independence movement went on to say that political responsibility is needed in all sides. They express their commitment to a negotiated solution to the conflict and to act in a responsible manner.

In the aftermath of the attacks the Spanish government tried to unify all the political parties in a statement against a negotiated end to the conflict. The Interior Minister went on to say that even if the Basque pro-independence movement condemned ETA’s actions it wouldn’t be legalized.

-Pro-independence councillor dies after being harassed by police.
Basque pro-independence councillor Remi Aiestaran died from a heart attack last Friday evening after being harassed by Basque-Spanish policemen.

The weekly Basque prisoners solidarity vigil was about to start in Villabona last Friday when 10 Basque-Spanish police vans took over the town’s main square. It was then that in order to avoid disturbances during the local festivals those gathered decided to abandon the vigil. Most of them moved to a nearby square where gigs had been organised by the local youth. The police followed them there and started provoking and harassing 27-year-old local pro-independence councillor and deputy mayor Remi Aiestaran.

After many provocations he told the policemen they weren’t welcome by the town council. It was then that some friends asked him to leave in case he was arrested. A few minutes later he collapsed and died.

The local festivals were immediately suspended. An extraordinary council meeting was called and the police repression denounced. The councillor’s funeral was attended by thousands of people and a very emotional homage was organised afterwards. He was remembered as a very committed and beloved member of the community. A demonstration followed the popular tribute. More demonstrations and a general strike in the town have been called for the coming days.

-Basque newspaper directors finally charged.
On the 23rd of February 2003 the Spanish Guardia Civil police closed down Egunkaria, the only Basque language newspaper and arrested seven members of the editorial team. All of them, well known Basque language and culture activists and academics, were brutally tortured. The images of a shattered Martxelo Otamendi director of Egunkaria after being released from a 5-day incommunicado hell shocked Basque society.
Some of the largest people’s mobilisations took place to denounce the Spanish attack against Basque culture and freedom of speech.

After 6 long years the Spanish Special Court finally decided to formally charge all of them with membership of terrorist organization. Despite the opposition of the state prosecution the far right wing finally convinced the judges of the need to charge them and start procedures for trial. The acussed are facing sentences of 14 years.

In a press conference the acussed expressed their disappointement and said these procedures weren’t typical of a democratic state. They said they were proudly guilty of promoting Basque language, culture and media but that they weren’t members of ETA.

DIRTY WAR INTENSIFIES

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BASQUE INFO 28/07/09

• Former Basque prisoner kidnapped and tortured.
• ETA destroys police barracks.
• Repression news.


-Former Basque prisoner kidnapped and tortured.

Former Basque prisoner and pro-independence activist Alain Berastegi denounced last week that he was kidnapped and tortured in a forest by ten masked men on the 17th of July.

Everything started when he was call to do a building job in Irunberri, near Irunea/Pamplona. Two men asked him to follow them to a forest where they said they had an old farm they wanted to refurbish. It was there where another ten men wearing masks and guns were waiting for him. They questioned and tortured him for 7 hours.

They beat him and asphyxiated him with a plastic bag.

The masked men, most probably Spanish policemen, asked him to collaborate with them. They offered him money and threatened him with arrest if he didn’t help him or if he denounced what happened.

Alain was released after being told to meet them again in another day in the following days. Instead the former Basque prisoner denounced what happened to him in court and in a press conference.

The organisation against repression Askatasuna said that this is the new 21st century dirty war but reminded people that it was the Spanish Labour government which set up the GAL death squads in the 80’s. The Spanish Labour Party is again in power in Spain.

In the last 6 months 4 former political prisoners and pro-independence activists have been kidnapped and one of them is still missing.

Askatasuna denounced the main political parties and mass media silence around these kidnappings.


-ETA destroys police barracks.

A strong van bomb destroyed the Spanish Guardia Civil police barracks in Burgos near the Basque Country at 4am today. 47 people were injured.

Spanish authorities fear ETA will launch more strong attacks in coming days.

Some analysts set the 31st of July 1959 as the ETA’s creation day.

The pro-independence movement said on a statement that it’s impossible to defeat ETA through police means and that the only way to resolve the political conflict it’s through inclusice dialogue, negotiation and respect the Basque people’s rights.

-Repression.

Two pro-independence youths have been arrested in the early hours of today by the Spanish Guardia Civil police. One of them is surfer champion Iker Acero. The arrested pair have been taken to the Basque youth website Gaztesarea offices in what seems to be an operation against this popular communication project.

Last week 38-year-old Basque political refugee Ekai Alkorta was arrested in the north of the Basque Country under French administration and sent to prison following an arrest warrant issued by the Spanish Special Court.
Young pro-independence activist Xan Beyrie was also imprisoned after his solicitor's appeal was refused by the French judges. He was previously arrested along with 12 pro-independence youths in the north of the Basque Country at the end of June and was released on bail.

The Basque-Spanish police continues with its campaign to make all expressions of solidarity with Basque political prisoners disappear. Prisoners' pictures and solidarity banners are being taken off walls, festivals, balconies, bars...The largest Basque trade union ELA denounced this practice and reminded people that Basque political prisoners are scattered in jails around France and Spain while many of them should be released under Spanish law after finishing their sentences or due to serious illnesses.

Basque political prisoners’ relatives association Etxerat called for the resignation of the Basque Interior Minister after he said he was disgusted by the prisonsers' pictures and solidarity events. The relatives said he knows he has lost the battle to make the Basque prisoners solidarity events disppear.

Last week the Spanish Supreme Court ordered the disbanding of all local pro-independence ANV/Basque Nationalist Action councillors groups. Elorrio town’s pro-independence mayor said they’ve been denied public funds and that this is yet another step in the process of banning the ANV party.

A Basque volunteers’ garden of remembrance was riddled with bullets two weeks ago and was defaced with pro-Spanish graffiti over the last weekend in Oiartzun, near Donostia/San Sebastian.

The Spanish Coordination to Prevent Torture group said last week the Spanish authorities promote torture and impunity after the Spanish government failed to comply with the implementation of the Nacional Mechanism to Prevent Torture.

150 Basque, European and American lawyers signed a petition to ask for the immediate release of Basque political prisoners' solicitor Inaki Goioaga. Inaki was arrested one month ago and accused of helping in an attempt prison escape in 2007. The arrest has been seen as an effort to threaten the Basque political prisoners’ solicitors work.

BASQUE REBEL YOUTH VIDEO

THREE MONTHS WITHOUT JON

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Basque Info 22/07/09

• Three months without Jon.
• Attacks against Basque prisoners.
• Protest against Spanish forces parade.
• Homage to dead refugee.

-Three months without Jon.

Basque political prisoner Jon Anza was released after 20 years in jail and then moved to the north of the Basque Country to be free from Spanish police harassment. Three months ago he went missing. His family and the Basque pro-independence movement have said the Spanish secret services and the French government are responsible for his disappearance. ETA said in a statement that Jon was a member of the organization at the time he went missing.


Other Basque political refugees were kidnapped, tortured and killed by pro-Spanish death squads in collusion with Spanish and French police in the 80’s and some of them are still missing.


In an interview carried out by the newspaper Gara over the last weekend Jon Anza’s girlfriend speaks of the hard three months herself and Jon's other relatives and friends are having not knowing what happened to him. She denounces the political parties and mass media silence surrounding the case and expresses her sorrow. Jon Anza’s girlfriend goes on to say it’s been a political kidnapping. She thanks the people for their support and campaign across the Basque Country.


Posters with Jon Anza’s face asking where is he can be seen on walls and banners around the country and protests are constantly being held.


The Basque pro-independence movement accused the Spanish government of reactivating the dirty war and pointed at the French government as an accomplice in it. At a press conference last week pro-independence spokespersons reaffirmed their commitment to continue working to achieve an democratic scenario and warned that the dirty war won’t distract them from that work.


-Attacks against Basque prisoners.

Basque political prisoners in three different Spanish jails were attacked by guards and taken to solitary confinement. This situation happens often and sometimes prisoners have to go on hunger strike to denounce them and get their basic rights respected. This is the case of Sebas Lasa who entered his 9th day on hunger strike today. He’s already lost 6 kilos.


A former Basque prisoner saw his parents' house attacked last week just two days after being released. The Goikoetxea family’s house was painted with threats and the entrance was burnt in broad daylight. Another son is currently in jail.



-Protest against Spanish forces parade.

One hundred people gathered in Donostia/San Sebastian last Thursday to protest against the annual Spanish occupation forces parade. The short 50-metre parade was attended by top heads of the Spanish army and police forces along some with pro-Spanish local politicians. Dozens of Basque-Spanish policemen looked after them but couldn’t avoid the protesters’ slogans being heard. The main banner asked them where is the disappeared ETA activist Jon Anza.



-Homage to dead refugee.

Basque political refugee Joxe Antonio Otxanesana who passed away in Mexico a few weeks ago was remembered in a rally in his home town of Ondarru last Sunday. 300 people took part in a very emotional rally where his life was celebrated. He had to go on the run when he was 27 and he spent the next three decades in Mexico where he become very well known for helping other Basque escapees.


Speakers at the rally spoke of the Spanish authorities witch hunt against Basque political refugees and the recent arrests in Ireland, Venezuela and the north of the Basque Country and the disappereance of Jon Anza. They said hundreds of Basques had to escape to be free from torture and jail and declared that the pro-independence movement will continue fighting for a democratic solution to the conflict to make the return of all of them possible.

OLDEST PRISONER IN EUROPE

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Basque Info 14/07/09

• Basque prisoner enters 30th year in jail.
• ETA’s attack.
• Spanish flag burnt.
• Hundreds at demonstration against repression.
• Basque political refugee layed to rest.
• March against High Speed Train.


-Basque prisoner enters 30th year in jail.
Basque prisoner Jose Mari Sagardui "Gatza", the oldest political prisoner in Europe has already spent 29 years in Spanish jails. According to Spanish law he should have been released in 2005. He’s spent most of his life in jail. His home town has seen many demonstrations for his support and even the Basque Autonomous Region’s Parliament has asked for his release.

Since his arrest on the 8th of July 1980 when he was brutally tortured, he has been in 13 different Spanish jails and in total he’s been transfered 34 times. In those 30 years he’s been in prisons in the Basque Country just twice, and only for a very short period.

He is currently being detained in Jaen’s jail, 730 kilometres from his home.

He has been a victim of the different Spanish prison policies including those of the cruel treatment in Carabanchel, the dispersal policy and currently the extreme confinement in Jaen. There is no natural light in his cell, and all his communications and movements are under strict control. He’s kept in isolation for 20 hours per day and under the hardest prison regime.

The Basque pro-amnesty movement has reiterated that despite the Spanish and French states not recognizing the political status of Basque prisoners, the measures they impose upon them are political.

Gatza has numerous obstacles to continue with his university studies and has many obstacles to get medical assistance.

Due to the relentless changes introduced by the Spanish authorities to act against the Basque political prisoners, Gatza has seen his remissions denied. He also saw his sentence modified and increased to 30 years.

-ETA’s attack.
Last Thursday an ETA bomb destroyed the Spanish Labour Party’s offices in Durango, near Bilbao. The police had previously sealed off the area but locals protested because they didn’t warn them of the danger.

-Spanish flag burnt.
The Spanish flag hanging from the balcony of the local government buildings in Gernika was burnt over the weekend. It’s within the building’s gardens where the Basque liberties’ symbol, the Gernika Tree is situated. Gernika was bombed in 1937 by the Spanish fascists in the first civilian bombing of history and killed 2,000 people.

The Spanish flag was hung there last April when the newly elected Spanish Labour Party’s Basque Autonomous Region Prime Minister took office.



-Hundreds at demonstration against repression.
Last Saturday hundreds of mainly young people rallied in the northern town of Donibane Lohitzune/Saint Jéan de Luz. The demonstration had been called by the pro-independence youth organization Segi to protest against the recent months French police operations. During the last protest at the end of June, 12 young people were arrested.

The march tried to reach the French Minister of Justice’s home but the police prevented the protesters by using tear gas.

After some confrontations the rally finally arrived to the end where speakers encouraged the Basque youth to continue organising themselves and working for the Basque Country.

-March against High Speed Train.
Last Saturday thousands of people protested in Bilbao against the High Speed Train (HST). The authorities controversial decission to build a HST trail in the Basque Country has resulted in massive opposition from pro-independence left-wing parties, trade unions, environmentalist groups, farmers organizations...etc. ETA has also repetedly attacked the works and killed a main constructor.

Speakers at the rally in Bilbao said that any person who is well informed of the damaging nature of the HST becomes a person against its construction. They said they will continue organising opposition across the city.

-Basque political refugee layed to rest.
30 years ago Joxe Antonio Otxoantesana had to escape from Spanish repression to Mexico. For three decades he helped Basque escapees in the north American country. He died last month from a brain haemorrhage. One of his sons last Sunday brought his ashes back to the Basque Country. Hundreds of people were waiting for him at the airport. Finally, hundreds more payed a well deserved hommage to Otxoantesana in his home town of Ondarru where his ashes were scattered into the sea.

Speakers at the rally remembered the public of the hundreds of Basque political refugees across the world.

Strasbourg’s judgement supports political apartheid.

Basque Info 7/07/09

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-Strasbourg’s judgement supports political apartheid.

As we informed listeners last week the European Court of Human Rights, based in Strasbourg, made a judgement related to the Spanish "Law on Political Parties". In the judgement the Court supported the bannings of pro-independence political parties in the Basque Country.

In a press conference pro-independence spokesperson Arnaldo Otegi said that the judgement does not contribute in any way to the political settlement of the Basque conflict, but just the opposite. Otegi continued: “We believe that it is a clear step backwards for fundamental rights and freedoms in the European framework which can affect other progressive organisations in the future if they raise questions about the legal framework of the states in which they act.”

According to Otegi the Court has accepted the reasoning and arguments initiated by the former government of Mr. Aznar's Popular Party, with the consent of the PSOE, aimed at preventing solutions in the Basque Country and to put in place a situation of permanent confrontation.

Otegi recalled that the "Law on Political Parties" - which was created ad hoc in order to ban Batasuna (and later on other political organisations supported by or related to the Basque pro-independence left) - came into being under the cover of the antiterrorist offensive initiated by the Bush Government. That war against “terrorism” permitted clear violations and restrictions of fundamental rights.

It is surprising that the Spanish conservative PP, which still has not condemned the dictatorship of Franco, and the Spanish Labour Party, which organised acts of State terrorism while in government in the past, are the ones who are pleased about the judgement.

The pro-independence left reasserts before the European community that there is no other way of settling the Basque conflict apart from inclusive dialogue and political negotiation, in a situation of non-violence and goodwill, leading to an agreement that recognises the democratic right of Basque citizens to decide on their own future, just as the European citizens of Ireland, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Flanders or other countries.


-Basque activists still at risk of extradition.

Last week a hearing on the case of Basque political refugee Inaki Etxeberria was held in Caracas, Venezuela. The prosecution was in favour of dropping the case. The solidarity campaign denounced pressures from the Spanish authorities to get Inaki extradited. He’s still in jail awaiting the court’s decision.

The judge in the case of Belfast-based Basque activist Arturo “Benat” Villanueva decided last Friday to set the 25th of September as the date for the hearing on the extradition case. The hearing of Belfast-based Basque activist Inaki de Juana will also be held in September.


-More arrests in France.

Three alleged ETA members were arrested in the southern French region of Bearn last Saturday. According to the French police they seized guns, money, false ID’s and material to build weapons dumps in their car.

The other two alleged ETA members arrested last week after a road accident they had are still in hospital. Their injuries are not life threatening. Despite their condition, one of them, 20-year-old woman Oihana Mardaras, was taken in for questioning. She told her solicitors afterwards that she had been ill-treated by the French police.



-Political demands present at festivals.

On Monday 6th of July the Basque Country’s capital Irunea/Pamplona started its worlwide festivals of San Fermin. Around one million people come from across the world to take part in the festivals.

Last Saturday a demonstration took place in the city to defend Basque symbols which are under constant attack by the local pro-Spanish authorities and to remind visitors that Irunea/Pamplona is not Spain nor France but the Basque Country.

Another demonstration on Friday demanded the fiestas remain the people’s fiestas in opposition to the efforts made by the local authorities to turn them into a more elitist festival.

On Monday, just one hour after the fiestas started, the traditional champagne cheering in support of the Basque political prisoners and refugees took place.

Basque flags and flags demanding the repatriation of prisoners can be seen hanging in balconies, pro-independence posters and banners fill the walls and bars, political stickers and t-shirts are worn by thousands of people, dinners and demonstrations with the same demands are held...Struggle and partying are linked during the nine days of the San Fermin festivals and the same happens in hundreds of towns across the Basque Country over the summer.

Basque Info radio program

Listen to this week's Basque Info program with the latest news and an interview with Diarmuid Breatnach, spokesperson of the Dublin Basque Solidarity Committee.

NEW REPRESSION WAVE

Basque Info 24th-30th June

-Repression increases.
12 people were arrested by the French police in the north of the Basque Country over the past few days. Despite not having official charges yet some media reported the arrests were part of an investigation into several 2007 attacks against estate agencies and tourism related businesses. Those attacks were claimed by the underground pro-independence group Irrintzi.

The arrests were protested by the anti-repression association Askatasuna and the pro-independence youth organisation Segi. They said that the arrests are a witch hunt aimed at increasing social control against the pro-independence movement. One of those arrested is the Segi’s spokesperson in the north of the Basque Country.

Hundreds of people rallied against the arrests in different towns across the north.

Last week we informed listeners of some arrests near Donostia/San Sebastian. The three alleged ETA members were finally imprisoned after five days incommunicado. Once in jail they told their solicitors they had been tortured.

Two suspected ETA members were arrested in Paris last Thursday and another two on Tuesday after suffering a road accident in the south of France. One of them had to be taken to hospital where his injuries are being treated as very serious. He’s unconscious.

During last week many pro-Spanish politicians publicly promoted police measures as the only way to solve the conflict. At the same time the Basque-Spanish police increased their harassment against Basque political prisoners support. They pressed and threatened bars and clubs owners, individuals and town councils to take off Basque political prisoners pictures from their walls and balconies. The police even arrested a young man for wearing a prisoners’ support sticker and prevented two former prisoners welcoming dinner and attacked another one.

The Basque pro-independence left released a statement to ask for political responsibility to politicians and mass media and to point out the impossibility of a police victory over ETA. The pro-independence left added that the political conflict can’t be reduced to an “antiterrorist” problem but quite the opposite. The majority of the Basque people demand respect for their nationality and their will to decide about their future in a free and democratic way. The pro-independence left reaffirrms that they will honestly promote negotiation and dialogue as the only alternative to find ways to resolve political problems.

-European court supports bannings.
The European Court of Human Rights released yesterday three judgements to support the Spanish bannings of Basque pro-independence parties. Surprisingly a Human Rights tribunal used the so-called European list of terrorist organisations which is not a law as a valid argument to defend its position.

The judgements will encourage the Spanish securocrats and helps to keep political apartheid in the Basque Country.

-Basque political refugee dies in Mexico.
Basque political refugee Joxe Antonio Otxoantesana aka “Ondarru” died last week from a brain hemorrhage. Ondarru had been living in Mexico for 30 years after he had to escape Spanish political repression. Since then he became an endless source of help to all Basque political escapees who arrived to Mexico in the 80’s and 90’s. The news of his sudden death quickly arrived to his home village where 250 people gathered to pay him a first and improvised homage.

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK'S BASQUE INFO

Basque Info radio program week 16th June to 23rd of June including the main news of the last seven days and an interview with Bik McFarlane where he tells us about his unforgetable weekend of solidarity with the Basque political prisoners in the Basque Country.

HUGE SUPPORT FOR BASQUE POLITICAL PRISONERS

Basque Info 23/06/09


-Massive festival in favour of the Basque political prisoners.
Over the last weekend 20,000 people gathered for three days in Lakuntza at the heart of the Basque Country to support the Basque political prisoners. 70 top rock bands played for free in the 10th Hatortxurock festival to show solidarity to the more than 750 Basque political prisoners and exhibitions, conferences and a political rally were organised. This historical festival aimed to raise funds to help the prisoners’ relatives pay for their trips to the dozens of far-off Spanish and French jails where they are held.

The organisers congratulated everybody for the huge success of the festival and expressed their desire for the festival to be the last, hoping all the prisoners are back home soon.

-ETA kills top policeman.
Last Friday an ETA bomb set under his own car killed the Spanish police Special Anti-Terrorist Surveillance Unit’s Chief Inspector in Bilbao. According to the Spanish authorities he was responsible for more than 70 arrests during his 27 years of involvement in anti-ETA actions. The Spanish government and other state powers expressed their anger.

The Basque pro-independence left stated that the disappearance of Jon Anza, some recent arrests and the latest ETA operation reflect the cruelty of the political conflict. The pro-independence left shows its commitment to help in a constructive manner to find ways to open a process of inclusive dialogue to achieve a definitive scenario of peace. The pro-independence left goes on to say that dialogue and negotiation are the only possible tools for resolution of the conflict and adds that the current Spanish Labour Party’s policies of repression and against dialogue don’t do anything but feed the confrontation.

On Saturday thousands of people rallied to protest against the killing at a demonstration called by the Basque Autonomous Region’s new Spanish Labour government. The local government’s president Patxi Lopez defended once again the defeat of ETA through policing.

-Barandalla back home.
In 2002 Basque political prisoner Bautista Barandalla was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an extremely serious and incurable illness. Seven years had to go by until he’s finally been released. Since last week he’s still a prisoner but in his own home and he’ll have to carry an electronic band wrist on him.

Barandalla leaves behind 19 years in jail. Since 2002 he’s been systematically denied his conditional release despite what the Spanish law provides for these cases. In 2002 and 2003 many massive demonstrations were organised to ask for his immediate release and he has become a symbol of the ill-treatement of ill Basque political prisoners.

There are still eight Basque political prisoners with incurable illnesses who should be released according to Spanish laws.


-Internationalist Iniciative contests last elections.
The pro-self-determination electoral platform continues its campaign to find out what happened during the last European elections in the Spanish state. Dozens of abnormalities were denounced such as Internationalist Iniciative’s ballots missing in polling stations and wrong vote counts.

Internationalist Iniciative decided to appeal against the Central Electoral Office to challenge the counts and the elections. They don’t have much trust in the Spanish judiciary system but they say they’ll appeal to the highest international bodies.


-Where is Jon?
Last week marked two months since the Basque militant Jon Anza went missing in France. First it was his family who denounced his disappearance on the 15th of May after ruling out any other possibility. On the 19th of May ETA said the Spanish and French governments were responsible for Anza’s disappearance. In a statement the armed organization said that the police knew Jon Anza was an ETA militant since January after they found his finger prints in a weapons dump.

The Spanish authorities denied their involment and the French government has ignored the accusations.



-Police operation against ETA.
Basque citizens Patxi Uranga, Ainara Vazquez and Olatz Lasagabaster were arrested in the early hours of Tuesday by Spanish policemen in Usurbil and Astigarraga near Donostia/San Sebastian. According to the police they found 75 kilos of explosives in the searches and accused the three arrested of being members of ETA. The man and two women arrested are well known for their involvement in the Basque language movement. The office of a Basque language magazine and one club were searched and computers seized by the Spanish police.

The Spanish Interior Minister congratulated the police from Washington where he is on an official visit and asked the CIA to help them in their fight against ETA.

Protests against the arrests were held in the deteinees towns.


-Support for Basque activists in Belfast.
Around 100 people took part last Saturday in a solidarity night at Cultúrlann in west Belfast to show support to Basque activists Inaki de Juana and Arturo “Benat” Villanueva. The two men are facing extradition to Spain for political reasons.

A documentary about torture in the Basque Country was shown and music was provided by traditional band Casadh and DJ’s Red Rasta and Rasta Revolution.


The money raised will help the Don’t Extradite the Basques Campaign (www.dontextraditethebasques.org) to continue raising awareness about the cases and the repressive situation in the Basque Country.