Basque Info 10 & 17/02/10 from Belfast

Pro-Independence Left’s internal debate’s conclusions set new strategy for new phase of strugggle.

The Basque Pro-Independence Lef Regional Assemblies gathered over the past weekend to put an end to the debate "Clarifying the Political Phase and Strategy". More than 600 representatives of more than 270 local Assemblies concluded the debate and defined and decided the strategy to be developed in the future ratifying the Resolution “Zutik Euskal Herria” (“Stand  Up Basque Country”; document in English: http://www.ezkerabertzalea.info ). These are the main contents of the resolution:

1. - The political phase the Basque Country is facing is the phase of
political change. This change has to be made through the Democratic
Process. Once the conditions for the change have been achieved, it is time to realise it. The objective of this phase is to reach a democratic
scenario where all political projects can be not only defended with equal opportunities but also implemented. The objective is to reach a stable and lasting peace in the Basque Country. Materializing this change also requires that we change  ourselves.

2.- According to the Pro-Independence Left there is a real opportunity for the desired real political change. The opportunity to overcome the current cycle and open a new democratic one is there. The challenge is to pass the door opened after decades of struggle and tireless work and to do the change. There are enough political and social conditions to do it.

3.- The Pro-Independence Left reaffirms its commitment to use exclusively political and democratic means. Those means make possible the necessary masses mobilization and unity of action of the democratic and progressive forces of the country  to open the process and to develop it. Those are the guarantee and leading forces of the process. This democratic process must be developed in a complete absence of violence and without interference. Dialogue and negotiation among the political forces should be governed by the principles of Senator Mitchell.

4.- An increasing  accumulation of forces through exclusively mass,
institutional and ideological struggle is the basis to move the State to
the field of the democratic and free confrontation of ideas and political
projects and to achieve a scenario where the Basque people freely,
peacefully and democratically will be able to decide about their future.

The Pro-Independence Left also calls on the Basque people and all progressive, democrat and popular forces, maintaining each one its own history, identity and being, to unite forces to make this process irreversible. They also call on the international community to accompany this process.

Finally the Basque Pro-Independence Left is sure that through common work and mass struggle next months will bring new scenarios and developments making this process irreversible.

All Basque nationalist political parties and trade unions expressed their positive welcoming to the debate’s conclusions.

The Spanish unionist parties tried to hide their concerns talking about minor issues and without discussing the main contains of the statement.

European MP's have called for the acquittal of Egunkaria Five

Twenty five members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have condemned in Strasbourg (France) the Egunkaria case, by signing a statement in favour of the daily. They have called for the acquittal of the five former members of Egunkaria´s Board of Directors –as they think that this is the only fair verdict possible–, the dropping of the financial court case and compensation of all the damage inflicted on all the defendants. In 2005, 22 MEPs called for the suspension of the closing down of the Egunkaria daily and requested that the rights of freedom of speech and information be respected.

The MEPs that signed the statement are representatives of four political groups: the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), the Group of the Greens-European Free Alliance (Greens-EFA), the Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left (GUE-NGL) and the Group of the European People’s Party. Some of them took part in a press conference today, together with Martxelo Otamendi, the former Editor-in -Chief of Egunkaria and one of the defendants.

“The freedom and pluralism of the media shall be respected”, they claimed in the statement. They also mentioned the torture claims made by some of the defendants. “We have to emphasize the report written in March 2004 by Theo van Boven, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. After visiting Spain to monitor the human rights situation in that country, he concluded that the torture claims made by the defendants in the Egunkaria case were consistent, and requested the Spanish Government to take measures to prevent torture”.

The MEP Izaskun Bilbao (Basque Nationalist Party) said that the Egunkaria case is “baseless” and added that the honour of the defendants should be restored. “This case should never have happened”. Tremosa claimed that the closing down was a “violation of rights” and pointed out that the State that currently runs the European Union presidency [Spain] is one that closes down daily newspapers. “We must react strongly against it”, he said. The MEP Oriol Junqueras pointed out that the acquittal of the defendants is the only solution, as did the other MEPs. “The whole Spanish political class knows that the closing down of Egunkaria was undemocratic, but neither the Popular Party nor the Socialist Party have had the courage to condemn this offence which they backed at that time. It is shameful to close down a newspaper basing the decision on inconsistent accusations”.

Alfonsi criticized the position of the Spanish state. According to him, Spain has a problem with democracy: “It systematically violates the freedom of speech of the Basque people”. He cited the Law of Political Parties and the closing down of Egunkaria as examples of that.

Romeva gave Otamendi and the other defendants his full backing and asked the European Union to display “clearer coherence” on the defence of the rights. “It condemns offences that take place abroad, but it should take more notice of the situation inside the European Union”.

Day against torture

On the 13^th of February 1981 ETA member Joxe Arregi died at the hands of the Spanish police after subjecting him to nine days of brutal tortures. Since then the 13^th of February has become better know in the Basque Country as the Day Against Toture.

Last Saturday dozens of events were organised across the Basque Country to remember Joxe Arregi, to show solidarity with those who have suffered torture and to denounce publicly that torture is systematically used by the Spanish police against Basque political deteinees.

Hunger strike ends

After 39 days on hunger strike Basque political prisoner Lorentxa Gimon was transfered to another French jail where she will share block with other comrades. She ended her protest after an agreement was reached with the jail’s principal.

Basque political prisoner Juan Carlos Arruti, in jail since 1989, saw last Hjek her sentence extended to an extra 10 years. This is due to the new measures that have been imposed by the Spanish authorities on Basque prisoners over the past two years. Despite protests against this judiciary decisions because they go against the Spanish Constitution Basque prisoners are suffering this crudel vengeance policy which in practice means life sentence.

Arrests

Seven people were arrested in several different police operations during the last week in the Basque Country and Catalonia. All of them have been acussed of being members of ETA. Two of them had to be taken to hospital and all of them have reported being badly tortured by the police.

Successful International Week of Solidarity with the Basque Country

Dozens of public meetings, protests, gigs, dinners...took place in Europe and Latin America for the third year organised by the Friends of the Basque Country network.

The events organised in 18 countries proved that the Basque Country is not alone and that more and more people are aware of the struggle for self-determination and social change there.

The organisers highlighted the importance of breaking the wall of silence imposed on the Basque Country by the French and Spanish states and congratulated everybody for the success and increased of activities and countries comparing to past editions.

In Ireland picket lines were organised in Dublin and Belfast with 100 people in attendance. Another 200 took part in the evening dinner and social events.

For more detailed information: http://www.askapena.eus/?q=en/node/759