The 720 Basque Political Prisoners on indefinite hunger strike to get political status recognised

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Wednesday March 16, 2005 12:03 by Irish Basque Committees- Coistí na maBascach- Éireannach

The Basque Political Prisoners’ Group has called on the Spanish and French Governments to get into direct contact with the interlocutors and to use the prison policies to solve the whole Basque conflict

The Basque Political Prisoners’ Group (EPPK) has begun an indefinite hunger strike today to get the political status of Basque prisoners’ recognised. In a statement sent to the medias the group, which brings together the 700 plus Basque prisoners dispersed throughout the world, explained that an indefinite hunger strike was part of the ongoing struggle it began at the beginning of January in support of their political status. This is the first time that the Basque prisoners in the EPPK have gone on a hunger strike all together at the same time.

EPPK members started by taking it in turns to hold sit-ins in January. The turn of the seventh sit-in finished its protest yesterday. The EPPK says that “punishment measures” of the governments have been the only reaction to the sit-ins held over the last few months. Basque prisoners in a number of jails in Spain, the Catalan Countries and France have been punished for supporting the struggle. Castellon, Villepint, Muret-Seysses, Cordoba, Murcia and Brieva are a case in point. Some prisoners were taken to punishment cells, others were not allowed to receive visits and most of them had disciplinary action brought against them by the prison governors.

The EPPK says the hunger strike begun today is “another step” in their struggle. It believes that recognising the political status of Basque prisoners would be an acknowledgement of their right to participate in the political process that could be started to solve the political conflict in the Basque Country. It has warned that an indispensable condition is the restoration of the prisoners’ basic rights and dignified living conditions.

The statement received yesterday goes on to call on the Spanish and French governments to “get into direct contact” with the representatives of the EPPK and to use the prison policies to solve the Basque conflict”. This is in line with the interview with Argi Perurena, the EPPK interlocutor, you can read below. At the same time the EPPK is demanding that “Basque prisoners stop being treated like hostages”.

The statement stresses that the EPPK’s group of interlocutors is made up of Juan Lorenzo Lasa-Mitxelena, Anabel Egues, Daniel Dergi and Argi Perurena. The EPPK also points out that it will not do any good talking in an inappropriate and misleading way to the members who are not the interlocutors and about matters that are not part of our interlocutors’ work. The statement goes on to express the EPPK’s sincere thanks to all the people who have held rallies in favour of Basque prisoners’ rights over the last few months.

ARGI PERURENA: "WE INVITE THE GOVERMENTS TO SPEAK TO THE INTERLOCUTORS"

Argi Perurena, whose father was killed by the GAL in 1984, has been in prison since 1999. Today she is the Basque Political Prisoners’ interlocutor and has warned that if the prison situation does not change, the group is poised to intensify its struggle

Argi Perurena is in the Paris prison of Fleury Merogis. She responded to a number of questions passed on to her before the Conflict Resolution Commission presented its Basic Accord .

Can you explain the reasons behind the struggle you have engaged in since the start of the year?

We have been waging a continual struggle against political isolation and in favour of our political status. That means that the Basque Country has a voice, that we Basque prisoners have a voice and that we have to be in the Basque Country, if the political conflict existing in the Basque Country is ever going to be resolved politically.

When we say ‘no’ to political isolation, what we are saying is that we Basque political prisoners are the consequence of the political conflict, and that we and the prominent role we play, have to be taken into consideration. So the key lies in the recognition of our Political Status, in other words, in the respect for fundamental and political rights.

Respect for fundamental rights means that there has to be an end to torture, ill treatment, assaults, and solitary confinement. It means that the members who are seriously ill should be allowed out, so that their health is not made worse. It means respect for the right to communicate and an end to interference, for example, an opportunity to go on studying has to be provided and the right to live in Basque has to be recognised.

The list of political rights which are not recognised is a long one: the right to assembly, the right to organise, the recognition of the interlocution of the Basque Political Prisoners’ Group (EPPK), the right, as a Group, to be in contact with the rest of the socio-political players, including an opportunity for the EPPK to participate in the Basque debate and in the forums for decision. These rights are currently being infringed and that is why we are engaged in this new campaign of struggle.

Can you talk about the positive and negative aspects so far of your campaign of struggle?

The most salient aspect is that the EPPK has once again demonstrated and continues to demonstrate its eagerness and character, its ability to organise itself in the face of obstacles and stand up to all the injustice, its desire to play a role in a united way in the resolution of the conflict, despite all the dispersion and repression. The initiatives being undertaken locally are also positive.

On the downside is the fact that the reasons which have prompted us to initiate this struggle are still there, in other words the rights which are so fundamental are severely repressed and we are being punished for claiming them. They would like to silence us and put an end to our initiative, even though they know we are doing the right thing.