Trial against basque left-wing organizations adjourned
international |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report 
Tuesday November 29, 2005 23:15
by Prisoner Solidarity
Trial against basque left-wing organizations adjourned after defence lawyers challenged judges
The defence lawyers announced Monday they would challenge the judges for acting in a "heavily biased way". The hearing has been adjourned until judges decide whether to allow it to proceed or not.
The hearing in the 18/98 case was adjourned Tuesday morning after the defence lawyers challenged the judges for acting in a "heavily biased way".
The defence lawyer Jone Goirizelaia said the judge acted against his defendant by purposely requesting that a document be read out without any request to do so coming from either side.
The defence lawyers filed in the challenge Tuesday morning and the trial was adjourned until judges decide whether to allow the challenge to proceed or not. If they do, the panel of judges will have to be changed.
The trial is expected to be resumed Tuesday morning.
The trial
Fifty nine people went on trial Monday 21st on charges of directing the logistical side of the armed basque group ETA's, raising funds, forging passports and helping commandos communicate with one another.
The trial is the largest ever in terms of the number of defendants to go before the National Court, the Spanish tribunal that deals with affairs of state and terrorism cases. The case stems from an eight-year probe by Baltasar Garzon, Spain's leading anti-terror investigator.
The trial, which is to hear testimony from more than 300 people, is being held under tight security at a trade fair pavilion. The normal venue for such proceedings would be the National Court, but it is too small for a trial with so many defendants, lawyers and reporters. The site was used earlier this year for Europe's first major trial of suspected al-Qaida members.
Those on trial include alleged members of basque youth groups and other organizations and businesses that portrayed themselves as coordinators of pro-independence activities but were banned by Garzon on grounds they were a front for fund-raising and other support for ETA. The trial is to last up to five months.
Source: EiTB24.com
Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7The 18/98 trial is the largest ever attempted in Spanish (or Basque) legal history. It sees hundreds of people accused _together_ of being integral to "seperatism" / "independence" terrorism (ETA).
The trial has been adjourned because "bias" has been clear in the prosecution's presentation of the "macro-summary".
This is something which never occured in Ireland or the UK in relation to "seperatism" / "independence" / "terrorism" issues. Its equivalent would have seen SF illegalised as HB in its various permutations have been and dis-allowed from sitting in elections until decommissioning had followed ceasefire.
It would have meant a completely different table for the peace process, one which saw newspapers, language groups, prisoner support groups, heritage and history groups, musical bands, business interests, political representatives, trade unionists all lumped together under the banner "ETA".
Naturally there are those in the Spainsh state who do "lump them all together" just as there are many who long ago stopped making such a grave error. The very scope of the prosecution's ambition, and the impossibility of presenting all the evidence in this case means it will become yet another legal/political farce. But one which illustrates the conflict and extent of the peace process yet to come.
For their part the Spanish government and as polled and consistently demonstrated the majority of the Spanish people want an immediate ETA ceasefire. The former minister of the interior, now in opposition, Angel Acebes, (who to this day attributes the Madrid March 11 bombings to the group "through Al Q intermediaries") last week added his fuel to the fire by attesting that the Catalan "statute" (reforming its home rule) had been "intellectually authored" by ETA.
A ridiculous and barbed insult, but one which finds support amongst the most extreme of "anti-basque" sections of the Spanish people. For just as there are many "anti-Spanish" basques, there is no shortage of "anti-all things basque" spaniards.
____________________________________________
This is the Basque TV and Radio website, they are covering with constant updates the trial in english - the last article - (22minutes at time of writing)
http://www.eitb24.com/noticia_en.php?id=108633
This is a "pro-independence" Basque news site which indeed is one of the plethora of organisations connected to this extra-ordinary "macro-indictment". They report and explain in english : last article (2 hours at time of writing)
http://www.berria.info/english/ikusi.php?id=1984
"Defence lawyer Kepa Landa asked Askasibar to identify a series of documents presented by the police as 'incriminating evidence', which turned out to be just ordinary delivery notes, incoices and balance sheets pertaining to his company, Gadusmar.
Mr Landa objected that what were presented today as Boxes number 1, 2 and 3 of documents of the prosecution in the case against Mr Askasibar were not the same Boxes numbered 1, 2 and 3 for the same defendant that the police had brought along yesterday. He asked for this objection to be placed on the record."
http://www.gara.net/dosierrak/euskalgatazka/macroproceso1898/orriak/art140073.php
Javier Ortiz writes in 'El Mundo' newspaper (in Spanish):
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=23258
http://www.javierortiz.net/
About Spanish trials and Spanish law in general, is that this state boasts the highest proportion of lawyers in the western world.
If the British are shopkeepers, and the Irish publicans (?) the Spanish are law experts.
They love practising law. Really, honestly. Thats why the trials, the indictments of everyone from ex-rulers of Chile, Argentina, Peru to the CIA the spanish really relish the writ.
& one thing to remember about the Basques is that they do seem to enjoy being "on trial".
Whatever you read, or whichever link you go to, the left "rebellion" site in the comment above, or the pro-ETA "gara" site, or the pro-independence "berria" or the "neutral" Basque tv, you do get the impression that this case can't be brought to a satisfactory conclusion, *if squeeky procedure is what you want*
The prosecution simply has not enough time to present all its evidence. And in the meantime the defendents will sit there in their matching "cultural rights" t shirts (which all of them have) and the basque diasporia and the basque supporters world wide will happily update you on it every day.
What can I say?
Well its not going to save the tradition of the celibate gay priest who cheers the loudest at the GAA final. Nor is it going to change the price of a cup of tea. Nor is it really going to change opinion on either side of the divide
"pro-union" or "pro-seperation". Today's satelite & cable TV afternoon movie was the most interesting "Lobo". A story of a member of ETA who was a mole for the Franco era secret police in the period after the assasination of Carrero Blanco (look him up on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Carrero_Blanco ) And thus can we see that in the Spanish media (another great institution) the ETA story goes on and on...
Remember that somewhere in South America Mr "Lobo" is still walking around with a different face, name and many different incarnations and versions of ETA have come and gone since.
What is that lumps all these groups on trial together?
Is it their common support of independence and "armed struggle"?
or
Is it the catch-all never-ending hostility of the spaniard lawyer against the basque?
God if you answer that, you can probably sort out northern ireland. Anyway, I'm going to go back to pondering what the failed gay priest candidates are going to do with their careers.
I suppose they'll go into acting or showbands.
Press Call:
Sunday 4th of December
12:30pm
Spanish Embassy, 17A, Merlyn Park, Ballsbridge Dublin
Protest organised by the Irish Basque Committees against 18/98 showtrial taking place in Madrid.
60 activists of different political, cultural and social organizations, journalists, businessmen... are currently facing a total of 911 years in prison for peaceful, public, political activities in defence of Basque identity and self-determination right.
The Western three Basque provinces' Parliament has once more voiced its opposition to the political trials being orchestrated by Spain's National Court and through the Law of Political Parties.
We wish to denounce the repressive tactics of the Madrid and Paris Governments, and to hopefully steer them towards a democratic and peaceful means of ending the conflict.
The protest will ber colourful and lively with displays of Basque culture and music and should prove newsworthy.
If you had any enquire don't hesitate to contact us through this e-mail address.
Irish Basque Committees
solidarity with revolutionary basque youth by irish basque committe:
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=68904
http://www.nlg.org/members/2003resolutions/Basque_Human_Rights_Abuses.pdf
By the way: ETA, stop "mediating".
If they suceed it will be the third outing for their new "macro-movement" this year.
The banner is "for the constitution". & obstensibly against the Catalan reform (which has yet to pass throught all stages of centralised parliament). Implied is any movement on the Basque situation. Remember the number 2 of the PP Angel Acebes said last week that ETA had intellectually authored the "estatut" to "break-up" Spain. Also last week a helicopter carrying the leadership of the PP crashed within three minutes of taking off. They weren't harmed. Their fan base think its a miracle. God has saved Rajoy for fighting down the secularists, the catalans, the basques, ETA, the gays, the reds, the okupas, the intellectual authors. (I've left an additional thought on today at a blog page provided by redjade) at link.
Of course anyone may be linked to Basque the independence tradition as the last commentator put it.
But are they linked to the terrorist organisation?
It is just the same as thinking everyone in favour of Irish re-unification was just one step down from the IRA army council. At end for all opponents of the authoritarian tradition in "spanish state" politics, today's march in Madrid is more important for the moment than the slogan on the Tshirts of the 600 18/98 defendents. Let's count bodies!
Could we have a report and/or some images of the demo?
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