Basque Political Prisoner On 38th Day On Hunger Strike
international |
rights, freedoms and repression |
news report 
Wednesday September 13, 2006 15:02
by IRISH BASQUE COMMITTEES
irishbasques at hotmail dot com
On August 7, Basque political prisoner Iñaki de Juana Chaos began a hunger
strike to demand his right to be released. Iñaki de Juana should have been
released on October 25, 2004, after serving his sentence in full and having
spent 18 years in jail.
In an attempt to stop his release basis for new accusations were made on two opinion articles the prisoner sentto the daily Gara . It is impossible to find any rational basis in the
articles to sustain such charges. Therefore there was a new request for a 96 year prison sentence.
During recent times we have witnessed a brutal initiative supported by the
Spanish government and the special antiterrorist court, the Audiencia
Nacional, to prevent the release of prisoners who were entitled to immediate
release from prison, over and above all basic the principles of law. The
Spanish State, for reasons to do with a political revenge, considers that
Iñaki de Juana and other political prisoners in a similar situation have not
served enough time in jail. Therefore, the Zapatero administration is
attempting to instate this situation of de facto life imprisonment against
the Basque Political Prisoners' Collective, violating the universal right to
release of those who have served their sentences in full.
The Irish Bsque Committees want to call to all groups and people in solidarity, to express their
protest to Spanish consulates and embassies and to send their messages to
the addresses of the following people, directly responsible for Iñaki de
Juana Chaos' situation.
*
*Help save Iñaki's life!*
José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero
Presidente del Gobierno Español
Palacio de la Moncloa,
Avda. Puerta de Hierro, s/n.
28071 Madrid
España
jlrzapatero@presidencia.gob.es
Fax: 0034 913900217
Carlos Divar Blanco
Presidente Audiencia Nacional
C/ García Gutiérrez, 1
28004 Madrid
España
Fax: 0034 913973381
Mercedes Gallizo Llamas
Directora General de Instituciones Penitenciarias
C/ Alcalá, 38-40
28014. Madrid
España
Fax: 91 335 40 52
More information:
Comments (6 of 6)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6This repression and human rights abuse is barbaric, we strongly condemn it and will work in solidarity with our Basque comrades to expose it and bring international pressure aginst those State perpetrators who carry out these human rights abuses.
We are keen to see the Basque peace process work and key to this is feeing political prisoners, lifting of the spanish ban on Batasuna, youth groups (Segi), trade Unions, language groups and newspapers.
A successful process relies on positive moves on all sides. In that regard it is clear the onus is now on the Spanish and French Governments to move the process forward.
There is also an onus on the international community, and in particular the international media to start covering the human rights abuses that are occuring in this so called Western democracy, as their efforts to do this have thus far been shamefully non-existent!
We are with you our Basque comrades - in solidarity and action!
Free Basque Political Prisoners Now!
Jo ta ke!
ÓSF and Basque Committees protest in Belfast against Segi show trials
Protesting in Dublin on same issue
If only u supported your own with such vigour
You serious?
Put a giant wall around ourselves and ignore other struggles?
Iraq, Basque Lands, Palestine, Latin America..all REALLY far away,so lets ignore them!?
get a grip.
By all means fight injustice overseas, but at least raise the injustice at home as well.
Where were these protestors at Colm Murphy's trial, or Seamus Doherty's trial?
In some areas of Ireland prisoner fundraisers are harrassed by Provisional supporters, some even abducted, stripped and hooded. Bar owners who agree to hold functions for anti-Treaty prisoners, are told their business will be in danger by senior PSF people.
Collection tins have been seized by PSF figures never to be returned.
All this is documented.
So excuse the cynicism, and allegations of rank hypocrisy, but the point stands.
(that's a human rights issue)
Garzón decision this week is to ban all future "prisoner support" marches and gatherings. His decision last week was to indict Berlusconi for corruption. Mr Garzon hasn't changed much and thus therefore the judiciary.
On the part of the executive Zapatero's only statements relating to the ceasefire, and peace process in Euskal Herria this summer outside of congress were an interview with the german newspaper "Zeit". It appears everyone is still at the stage perhaps best expressed as oh well that process you're referring to hasn't started yet. so you can't say it's in bad shape or complain about it. why don't you just take it the list? have you talked to that priest from Belfast yet? great moderator him. Hey! what you need is movies! pity you don't speak english.
Of course there is always more to write about the Basque & the Basques. & there are always readers to read the Basques. That's because of their identity, language, history, clear nationhood & stuff.
mendiz mendi menderik mendi
I only laugh reading this articles and how some misinformed people in Ireland offer their support to causes they don't fully know/understand.
Let's set the facts straight:
-De Juana is not a political prisoner. He is in jail because he has killed people, not because his political ideas.
-Batasuna has been illegalised because they support a terrorist group, they don't have the decency to condemn terrorist attacks, and they bully (and kill, depending on how important he/she is) anybody that doesn't share their political ideas.
Nobody is being repressed in Spain at the moment. If any, all the people that don't share the same ideas as the terrorist, that live with the fear that there will be a bomb under their cars, or their business will be destroyed, or their relatives kidnapped. I must remember there's a cease fire at the moment in Spain. This is because of an existing terrorist group that bullies people.
If those "political" prisoners would really want to pursue their ideas, the easiest thing would be to give away their weapons, set an enviroment of peace and trust in the Basque region where everybody can express their ideas, whatever they are, and then set a referendum and see what the basques really want. This is impossible at present because opposition parties assets are attacked, public transport burned, non-nationalists have to move away from the basque region,...
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