Gaizka Aranguren, Journalist. Iruñea-Pamplone. Navarre - Basque Country

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis

Friday January 10, 2014 14:53

by Basque Solidarity - Basque Solidarity

While I´m writing these words they are arresting my brother. Again, yes. Now he is 40 and it looks like his crime is to building bridges between the political prisoners and the social collectives.

A frame of "Asier ETA biok" film

My grandad (Gaizka Urroz, from Orreaga) was detained in 1937, sentenced to two death penalties that were commuted and then imprisoned. He was imprisoned because he was part of the Basque army. While he was doing slave work he escaped, and later he was very involved in the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) in Venezuela and died when he was 41 years old. He was buried at Caracas’ Basque cemetery.

My father (Jose Ramon Aranguren, from Iruñea), was detained in 1998. He was imprisoned and they asked for a 49 years sentence in the 18/98 process. These charges were made against him only because he was the vicepresident of the directorate of the newspaper “Egin”. His heart didn´t endure. When he was 70, in 2009, his heart stopped. All his colleagues are still in jail.

My older brother was detained when he was 26 years old. He refused to do the military service. He was in jail for almost two years for the crime of insubordination.
Asier, my brother, was imprisoned first when he was 21 years old. He was in jail for one year, because of his refusal to partake in the military service as well. Ten years later, at the age of 31, he was detained again. That time it was because of being member of ETA. He was in jail for 8 years.

While I´m writing these words they are arresting my brother. Again, yes. Now he is 40 and it looks like his crime is to building bridges between the political prisoners and the social collectives.

The four of us have had the same political objective: the free Basque Country. The sovereign state of Navarre. A small but a strong umbrella for the Basques. Ours isn´t an exception. Generation by generation, a lot of families have suffered the imposition of the imperial project in our country. In spite of this, the Spanish government continues to deny the reality of the political conflict.

They are trying to divide the sea, but the waves are raising the tide of the Cantabrian Sea . Next week will be the premiere of the film “Asier ETA biok” in the cinemas. My brother will explain in the film what I’ve said here and expand upon it. And now, a message for my brother who is in the hole of the police station: Asier, my brother… Our grandfather, father and I are all so proud of you.

We are proud of all of you. Like the Cantabrian Sea.

I love you.