2nd ETA hungerstriker.

international | crime and justice | news report Friday February 23, 2007 15:25 by love croker

Jesús Mari Zabala Mugira is reported as having begun a hunger strike on the 16th of February. His protest which seems without indications to the contrary to be his own decision has been reported quite speedily by the Basque "political prisoner support network" who yesterday sent out the word to various media organisations only 7 days after he began what is still technically an extended fast. Zabala is about to finish serving a sentence in Saint Martin de Re prison in France (on the 8th of March) whereupon he will most likely be extradited to Spain to face other charges. His hunger strike is aimed at evading that transfer. He was detained in the French Basque in 2000 as part of an operation against the logistic structure of the terrorist organisation.

However the protest by Zabala has not been mentioned in the latest round of mobilisations calling for the release of Inaki de Juana which today saw an exceptional number of gatherings pass off with unusual calm & lack of confrontation.

Attended by many hundreds of people in several cities of the Basque region - the marches were without incident and saw the "front bench" of the abertzale movement do one of their "united fronts". But the tack (as in sailing with the wind not kitschy one for a euro tack) has changed - yet again. Prisoners are now on the agenda and angry young types are off it.

Speaking at a demonstration in Donasti attended by Arnaldo Otegi, and José Petrikorena, Joseba Permach asked that all rights corresponding to prisoners be respected and that the policy of dispersal end.

The spokesperson of Etxerat, Estanis Etxaburu added that the present situation is unsustainable and hopes many Basques will heed a call to "strike action" (of the industrial kind).

Otegi for his part reiterated his belief that the illegal formation will contest the forthcoming municipal elections.

the secretary general of the union LAB Rafa "joseba eile" Díez Usabiaga assembled around 50 people in a silent demonstration in Pasaia- After which Diez Usabaga declared "it is more neccesary than ever that Basque society demands the PSOE put an end to politics based in revenge and the "instrumentalisation" of ETA prisoners and their "rights". He also reiterated his belief that de Juana Chaos and "many others" ought be on the street (free).

In Bilbao another LAB leader Txutxi Ariznabarreta, and two leading members of Batasuna, Karmelo Landa and Jone Goirizelaia also led a concentration in which the manifesto of Etxerat was read calling for an immediate end to the "macabre" and "criminal" penitentiary policies of the Spanish state.

At all mobilisations referred to slogans of the basque independence movement prisoner network were heard. But none of the angry bomb the villages slogans you only seem to read on this site.

There will be a march calling for an "amnesty" of all ETA prisoners tomorrow at which the general demand that Inaki de Juana Chaos be freed so he can have his health sorted out will be expressed.
For his situation is "unsustainable". That's the problem with such protest methods. As soon as Zabala's strike is upped a political factor there will be updates.