Basque left pro-independence movement leader jailed by spanish goverment

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Friday May 27, 2005 19:46

by Irish Basque Committees-Coistí na mBascach-Éirenach

Attack on Basque Peace proposal interlocution.

BATASUNA’s international press release

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Denouncing Arnaldo Otegi’s imprisonment

BATASUNA HOLDS ZAPATERO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ARREST

The national board of BATASUNA (the executive) in a public and collective
appearance this morning, 26th May 2005, place the blame for the arrest of
Arnaldo Otegi directly on the PSOE and its leader and president of the
Spanish government Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The main leader and
national spokesperson of the Basque pro-independence left party was
imprisoned yesterday, 25th May 2005, accused by the Special anti-terrorist
tribunal called “Audiencia Nacional” of being a member of ETA, setting a
huge bail of 400.000 Euros (around 266.666 English pounds) for his
provisional release.

BATASUNA has manifested that the arrest of Arnaldo Otegi is a very serious
attack on the exceptional political context the Basque Country lives, where
in the past months a social and political climate in favour of a political
resolution in the Basque Country has been created.

The national board of BATASUNA has remembered that Arnaldo Otegi is also
Batasuna’s main mediator and that within the past months he has maintained
many meetings with trade unions and social and political organizations in
order to settle a peace and political normalization process in Euskal
Herria (Basque Country).

BATASUNA believes that the imprisonment of the main negotiator of one of
the sides of the conflict, completely discredits the discourse carried out
by the president of the Spanish government, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero,
in the past weeks in relation with his political willingness to open the
path of dialogue and agreement. We have to add to this imprisonment the
arrests carried out these past months in both Spanish and French ruled
Basque Country, as well as the maintenance of the Basque political
prisoners dispersion policy and the banning of Batasuna and other social
organizations.

An attack on the Basque society’s desires

Never the less, the whole of the Basque society, no matter what their
political believes are, sees Arnaldo Otegi as the essential political
figure to establish a political process which shared objectives are peace
and political normalization in the Basque country, that is why BATASUNA
believes is a direct attack to the Basque Country’s main longing.

BATASUNA’s national executive considers necessary to shield the future of
the political resolution process of the conflict, by the political
activation against the measures mentioned above and of course the social
mobilization of the Basque citizens. That is why has called for demos and
protest in all the PSOE Basque offices all through out the week, and has
specially summoned the society to take part at the national demo in
defence of the political resolution of the conflict to be held in Bilbao
the 4th June 2005.

Strong bid in defence of the process and solidarity request

Finally, the National executive of Batasuna has cleared that no-one nor
nothing will turn the Basque pro-independence left movement aside one
single millimetre from its path, not even the imprisonments of the Spanish
high court that by now has lost all its democratic credibility in the
Basque Country.

BATASUNA reiterates that the Alternative for the democratic resolution of
the Basque conflict forwarded the 14th November 2004 at the Anoeta
sport-hall of Donostia/san sebastian called “Orain herria, Orain bakea” –
Now the people, now peace - is still its main project.

That is why BATASUNA calls for the international community’s political
parties and personalities who have shown their agreement and solidarity
towards the political resolution process of the Basque conflict to manifest
their rejection to Arnaldo Otegi’s imprisonment and defend a peace process
and political normalization in the Basque Country by carrying out public
initiatives on its favour.

Joseba Albarez
Menber of BATASUNA’s national executive
Head of international relations department
26th May 2005

P.D. The mentioned initiatives and declarations should be please sent to
the e-mail address; alvarezforcada@hotmail.com