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

_

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

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Comments (4 of 4)

jayshuz still weeps you're a bit slow off the mark aren't ye?

by mrs beeton

Fri May 27, 2005 21:44

if ye bothered to use the search engine, and read the articles and comments on this site instead of just giving us the news article!!!! treatment you'd know all about it and even have a propaganda photo (works both ways you know the propaganda - best left to experts) of himself with your Gerry.
And anyway,
he's out now.
Still it as interesting to see how long it took to get 400,000€ together, bit longer than was expected.
made a nice statement about democracy and the peace process, blah de blah in his language.
How long would it take SF to get 400,000€ bail for Gerry?

Gerry getting scooped ?

by barry

Sat May 28, 2005 01:16

Well the last time he was scooped he actually disobeyed army orders and spoke . Or more precisely , he broke , like a big hairy plate . He paints a nice rosy picture of this in one of his books that allegedly made him the millionaire he is today . He basically laughs it off .

Funny enough now , Darkie Hughes , who was arrested with Gerry and didnt speak to the cops , says he was offered a suitcase full of banknotes to turn agent . Gerry, who did spake to the scum , apparently wasnt offered the same note stuffed suitcase as Brendan Hughes . Darkie got sent down for a huge sentence , while Gerry just got a handy wee touch .

Of course Gerry was never an agent because , obviously , PIRA internal security would have uncovered it . In fact PIRA internal security was hand picked by Gerry himself , which resulted in a near coup by his long term comrade Ivor Bell (accompanied by Dan McCann) .
Later down the line PIRA internal security chief Alfredo Scappitticci was unmasked as a British agent . Dan McCann was sent to Gibralatar and an assassins hail of bullets .

But theres no way Gerry was a wrong un . You see he was never in the IRA . And surely if he had of been that long line of supergrasses in the early 80s would have fingered him as a member . But not one of them even mentioned him , or Marty , or even Scap , so, there you go .

This Bsque leader must be as guilty as sin . Maybe Gerry can advise him on the error of his ways .

Consentracions in Barcelona for the freedom of Arnaldo Otegui

by Estat Català

Sat May 28, 2005 03:29

Consentracions in Barcelona for the freedom of Arnaldo Otegui, the 27 of maig 2005, with the motto: "freedom arnaldo otegui, they speak of peace i jail I engage in a dialog"
---------------
Concentració a la Plaça Sant Jaume, Barcelona, el 27 de maig 2005, amb el lema:
“LLIBERTAT ARNALDO OTEGUI. PARLEN DE PAU, EMPRESONEN EL DIÀLEG”

press reports that half of the bail of 400,000€ for the release of Ortegi after 41 hours was in cash

by %

Sat May 28, 2005 12:35

that's a suitcase of 200,000€ in used notes - just like you get in the movies.
you'd want to be careful carrying that amount of cash around with you. Ortegi is to report to the police station twice a week, and is not allowed leave the country [spanish state] just like normal people on bail.

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Basque left pro-independence movement leader jailed by spanish goverment

Comments (4 of 4)