Basque Political Prisoner Inaki De Jauna On Hunger Strike

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Thursday September 21, 2006 16:08

by IRISH BASQUE COMMITTEES

irishbasques at hotmail dot com

Having served 18 years in Spanish jails Iñaki de Jauna should have been
> released on October 25, 2004,

For immediate release: 19/09/06
>
>
>
> However the case of Iñaki de Juana has seen
> the Spanish authorities attempt to stop Iñaki’s right to remission. When
> this failed they constructed spurious charges against related to two
> articles that he had published in the Basque daily newspaper Gara. The
> Spanish authorities have now called for an extra 96 years to be served.
> Iñaki de Juana has now been on Hunger Strike from August the 7th to protest
> at this flagrant abuse of his rights and continuing detention.
>
> Speaking today spokesperson for the Irish Basque Committee, David Kennedy,
> said:
>
> “Iñaki de Juana has been on Hunger Strike for over 6 week now and Saturday
> will see Iñaki’s 49th day on his protest. His case has seen his right to
> remission refused and then charges brought against him that the Spanish
> government and courts have fabricated from to opinion pieces in the Basque
> daily newspaper Gara.
>
> “This is depsite the findings of the Audiencia Nacional judge Santiago
> Pedraz stating clearly that no charges were evident. Following this ruling
> however comments from The Spanish Minister for Justice, stated "we shall
> build new charges so that they [Basque Political Prisoners] are not
> released!"
>
> “The case of Iñaki de Juana is not in isolation. On a daily basis the rights
> of Basque political prisoners are abused with policies including dispersion,
> canceling of visits and beatings to highlight a few examples.
>
> “We in Ireland have a long history and experience of Hunger Strike from
> Republicans such as O’Donovan Rossa, in the period of the war of
> independence with the Mayor of Cork, Terence McSweeney, right through to the
> 1981 Hunger Strike in which 10 brave republicans died.
>
> “We are calling for people here in Ireland to apply pressure in whatever
> form they can to the Spanish Government in order that they stop this
> fundamental abuse of Human rights and release Iñaki de Juana immediately.
>
> Note to Editor: The Irish Basque Committee will be holding a protest outside
> the European Commission Office at Windsor House in Bedford Street, Belfast
> at 12:30 of Saturday the 23rd of September.
>