Basque Info

• Anniversary of the Gernika Agreement Endorsed by the Association of Basque Political Prisoners
• The leaders of the endorsing parties, trade unions and organisations took part on the celebration event held in Gernika.
• Protest against political trials

Anniversary of the Gernika Agreement Endorsed by the Association of Basque Political Prisoners

The Association of Basque Political Prisoners (EPPK in Basque) has officially endorsed the Gernika agreement. On the event celebrating the first anniversary held in Gernika last Sunday, twenty-seven former Basque political prisoners took the stage on behalf of the association and read the statement issued on Saturday.
In the statement the EPPK highlights their intention to become an active part in the resolution process. The statement stresses the importance of the Gernika agreement for the resolution of the political and armed conflict.

The statement also notes that the agreement includes the association’s claims, repatriation of Basque political prisoners to Euskal Herria and the end of the extreme measures applied against them as a first step toward amnesty. In front of the states’ prison policy the association makes clear that they will not accept individual benefits or solutions, offered by a prison system designed to destroy their political and human identity.

The statement concludes by noting that the Gernika agreement has become a steeping stone for the achieving of a democratic scenario. And it reaffirms their commitment to promote the democratic process to the end. The reactions have been swift. In most cases, except on the Spanish right, the endorsing has been regarded as an important step, which takes us closer to a scenario of peace.

President Zapatero himself has acknowledged the relevance of the statement.
In addition and driven by the manipulation in some Spanish media about the endorsement of this document by the members of the Association of prisoners Jone Goirizelaia has spoken today. In an interview in ETB she has said that she has direct knowledge that "no prisoner is dissatisfied with the statement" and has stressed that "the people who signed it said yesterday that they did so on behalf of the whole group".

The leaders of the endorsing parties, trade unions and organisations took part on the celebration event held in Gernika.

The endorsers drew the balance of the past year, considering as positive ETA’s pronouncements and citizen’s mobilization; and not as positive the behaviour of the Spanish State. At the same time, they denounced the escalation of repression and that the only steps taken by the Government about prison policy have been to "worsen it".The signatories believe that, after a year, "the social and political conditions for the pacification and normalisation to go ahead are better." But they are also aware that these processes tend to be "long and difficult."

The signatories of the agreement presented the working plan for the coming year. Its axis will be the socialization of the peace and normalisation process to embed it in people; to get new endorsements and get closer to achieving its objectives.
The signatories defend that at the end of the process of resolution there shouldn’t be winners and losers. They said that "peace and a real political normalisation will put us all on the winning side".

Internationally, they suggest to "expand relationships with institutions that are involved in our process, with international mediation groups and with agents that have experienced similar processes in other places."

Protest against political trials

Thousands of people took part Saturday in a demonstration called by different Basque social and political agents and trade unions after the ruling on the Bateragune Case.

This demonstration was called to denounce the ruling that condemns several members of the Abertzale Left for their political activity and specifically for their role as drivers of the strategical debate within the Abertzale Left. This debate has led to a change of strategy and to the exclusive commitment to political means to achieve their goals.

The rally also called for a democratic scenario in Euskal Herria and the end of political trials.
At the end of the event a letter sent by Arnaldo Otegi was read on behalf of the five activists convicted for the "case Bateragune."
In the letter, Otegi warns that "there are still powerful forces installed in different sectors of the state that manage an agenda with the only aim of preventing the peace" in Euskal Herria.