Latin American Left demands freedom for Arnaldo Otegi

The Sao Paulo Forum, which gathers the Latin American left-wing parties, accepted to deal with the case of political repression against Basque nationalist leader Arnaldo Otegi, who is in prison for his ideas and proud rejection to bow to Spanish arbitrary impositions.

All parties present, as well as important personalities such as Nobel Peace Prize Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Nora Cortiñas from the Madres de Plaza de Mayo human rights organization, signed the letter. This includes such important organizations as Brazilian Workers' Party (PT), Venezuelan Socialist Unified Party (PSUV), Mexico's Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD), Uruguay's Broad Front (Frente Amplio), Cuba's Communist Party and Nicaraguan Sandinist Front of National Liberation (FSLN), as well as the Revolutionary Left Movement of Chile, the Communist parties of Venezuela and Brazil, etc.

The initiative, exposed by Doris Benegas, was promoted by Castilian Left (Izquierda Castellana, a small but veteran and very active Castilian nationalist party, solidarious with other stateless nations under the Spanish boot), which is observer at the Sao Paulo Forum.

A formal request by the Forum to ask the Spanish government for the release of Otegi was however shelved as the ruling parties of Brazil and Venezuela considered they would have to consult with their chancellors and there was no time for that.

Source: Gara[es]