European HR Court condemns Spain for not investigating tortures

It refers to the case of Basque citizen Mikel San Argimiro who was arrested, held incommunicado and (allegedly, most likely) tortured for five days by the Guardia Civil (militarized police corps) in 2002. The sentence condemns Spain to pay 23,000 euros for the fault of investigating the denounces of torture. The sentence is likely to establish a precedent in the matter because Spain almost systematically does not investigate torture while in detention.

The forensic report in San Argimiro's torture case established the first day that he had many lesions, which were dismissed as they could be "compatible with the development of the arrest and the maneuvers of immobilization". This same argument was held by the state attorney in the case of Igor Portu and Mattin Sarasola, which, in an exceptional development, resulted in the accusation of several policemen (Guardia Civil again) which will be judged in a month. 

In the second day of arrest the forensic physician reported new lesions without attributing them to any particular cause. Four days later, after being sent to prison, another physician found a broken rib.

The European tribunal cannot judge the existence of not of torture, because there is no investigation but can judge that not investigating it is a serious fault, a breach of article 3 of the European Covenant on Human Rights forbidding torture.

There is a long list of similar cases involving Basques as victims; next in line are the well known cases of Unai Romano, whose photos with the face totally deformed by the beatings caused a tremendous impact, and Martxelo Otamendi, director of Basque language newspaper Egunkaria, which is one of the most aggravating cases of persecution against freedom of speech and linguistic diversity. 

 Unai Romano before and after his arrest

In the past the European tribunal has only ruled against Spain in few occasions, one involving Catalan nationalists, tortured in the context of the Olympic Games of 1992, the other two affect Basque victims: nationalist MP Miguel Castells, who was deprived of parliamentary immunity, judged and sent to prison for a crime of opinion (denouncing that the death squads of the 1980s were not being investigated) and the other happened last year, when Strasbourg condemned Spain to pay 170,000 euros to Mikel Iribarren, who was almost killed by a rubber bullet shot at short distance against his face. 

Hopefully this sentence will help to at least contain a bit the systematic impunity of police torture.

Source: Gara.

Spain arrests Basque internationalists

Spanish police has arrested tonight seven members of the, so far legal, internationalist organization Askapena. It has done so ordered by the Neoinquisition's new boy, judge Juan Pablo Ruz, who is replacing B. Garzón, who is in trial for daring to investigate fascism or something).

The seven arrested are Gabi Basañez, Unai Vázquez, Itxaso Lekuona, Rubén Sánchez, David Soto, Aritz Ganboa and Walter Wendelin. Wendelin, who has German citizenship, was expelled from Venezuela in March in a cowardly action by the Bolivarian government, upon pressure from Spain. In spite of all the manipulations he was free until yesterday. 

There is of course concern because of the recent reports of tortures against other people arrested arbitrarily by the Audiencia Nacional (Neoinquisition). 

Source: Gara.

Analysis

This is obviously another sabotage against any possible peace process and a provocation to the whole Basque Nationalist Left. There is no question about it. The only question may be who is directing the judges (and police, as tortures are not something that judges can order) into arbitrary arrests of political nature in this delicate time. I do not have an answer but it is clear that, if it is not the Spanish Government directly (it might be the right wing opposition), it casts a huge shadow on the real power wielded by Rodriguez Zapatero (PM) and Rubalcaba (Minister of the Interior) and therefore on whether something can be negotiated at all with the PSOE government. 

Question remains is how much patience will ETA have with the blatant disinterest of Spain in reaching to any agreement or even respecting the most basic protocol towards any sort of negotiation. And how much patience will the Basque people have as well because what is obvious by now, and is likely to become more obvious in the near future, is that Spain does not want peace and democracy and Basque people does instead. 

By the way, there is some persistent helicopter noise out there. Not too unusual but sign that they are monitoring the streets from the air, whatever the exact reason. As there is no demonstration called for today, it should be related to the arrests.

Testimonies of tortured by Spanish police

Political repression in the Basque Country, including arbitrary arrests, false accusations, trials without guarantees and tortures, is so common that I cannot certainly make mention of everything. In fact, I fear that I am so used to reading about repression that I don't even give it too much importance or even try to take it off my mind.

But at least now and then I must make mention so my readers get an idea of what is going on here. These is what happened, by their own accounts, to the last spat of arrested and tortured Basques, the victims of the reaction of the state to the confirmation by ETA that they were in a unilateral truce. All them were arrested by the Guardia Civil, a military police corps similar to the French Gendarmerie or the Italian Carabinieri, that has the worst reputation. The typical journey to Madrid by car may last some 4-5 hours but tortures continued once in police dependencies. Sexual abuse has become lately a common way of torture.

Sandra Barrenetxea had her upper clothes removed while being transported to Madrid. In the transport, she was systematically insulted, beaten and touched. Eventually a policeman took away her pants, forcing her to open her legs while another hit her on the head. She was forced to wear only her underwear in the interrogations and was threatened with rape repeatedly. In one occasion she was forced to lie her torso on a piece of furniture while the policemen tied her legs with a rope and threw cold water to her genitals between threats of rape.

Ugaitz Elizaran claims to have suffered more than 20 times the torture known as "the bag" (they put a plastic bag on your head and tighten it so you cannot breath and experience the agony of death). In one case, while suffering this torture, they tied his hands at the back and enveloped him in a mattress, with several policemen sitting on him. He tells that he even lost his sight once. Additionally they forced him to make physical exercises and beat him, as well as issuing threats against his relatives and friends, showing him a manipulated photo to make him believe, falsely, that his couple was also arrested.

Rosa Iriarte told that she was forced to touch a white narcotic dust, what caused her lose the feeling of her hands. Then they threw the same dust on her legs loosing sense in that part of the body as well. When they finally gave her a glass of water, she also ingested some of the substance, having all the mouth "asleep". Additionally she was forced to hear how the other arrested were tortured and was applied electrodes but no shocks (a threat).

Eneko Compains suffered the bag as well since the very moment he was introduced in the police van. He also denounced a very harsh psychological treatment with systematic threats against his relatives and a threat of anal rape with a stick. Curiously, he mentions that when he rejected to make a declaration at the police station the attitude of the cops relaxed. He asked to the physician for habeas corpus but his petition was rejected by the tribunal.

Aniaiz Ariznabarreta was, like Barrenetxea, deprived of her upper clothes in the journey to Madrid, suffering touchings and sexist insults. The same pattern was repeated at the police station for the four days of the arrest, when she was forced to stay naked and suffered sexual abuse (touchings on breasts and vagina). Ariznabarreta also reports that she was once enveloped in a blanket and then in a mattress, with a policeman sitting on her while the other five officers did not stop yelling, insulting and making threats.

Egoitz Garmendia was also applied the bag with some peculiarities (tape on his mouth and sometimes throwing water to his face when releasing the grip). He was heavily beaten and also enveloped in a blanket and/or mattress for policemen to jump on him (one on his genitals). He also reported repeated hits against his genitals (without the mattress) and threats of rape with a stick. In one occasion, when being brought back to the cell, they threw water on him, forcing him to stay naked with the only aid of a blanket (police cells are not warm, I can tell you).

Erika Bilbao was forced to stay in difficult postures, beaten and threatened, reporting as well a harsh psychological treatment full of threats against her loved ones. Like the rest, she could not rest because of continuous noise and yelling.

Joxe Aldasoro was kept in a dark room in which he could see nothing. When moved, he was blindfolded. Otherwise he reports continuous threats against his relatives and friends.

Urko Aierbe was beaten so badly that his leg was injured and he cannot walk normally now. His report includes the bag (twice), forced positions and continuous beatings.

Source: Gara.

Make up your own mind. But this is essentially what we read, hear or just know from experience that happens when someone is arrested, in particular (but not only) by the Guardia Civil. Spanish 'anti-terrorist' laws allow for incommunicado arrest without any guarantees for several days and when these are applied the usual thing to happen is torture of this or that sort. Later they may well let you free with or without charges, for the media your a "terrorist" anyhow and most won't listen to your denounces.

Latest developments in the fragile Basque process

I'm not even going to call it "peace process" jet, just "process". Because the news are not really hopeful in general.

After rumors on the bilateralness of the truce, the Spanish government decided to dismiss these by the path of action and jailed a number of Basque politicians diffusely accused of belonging to the "all is ETA" conspiracy theory that prevails in Madrid since some 12 years ago. In effect they are accused to belonging to Ekin, a ghostly political avant-guard organization that would lead the similarly ghostly KAS bloc, including the Basque Nationalist Left, ETA and a host of other organizations. The KAS (Patriotic Socialist Coordination) bloc did exist in the 80s and 70s but it's not clear it does exist anymore nor that it ever included ETA at all and, in any case, it should be the same as the Basque Nationalist Left political movement (now illegal but still very real). No evidence of the existence of Ekin now or in the past exists (just police reports).

All the arrested denounced tortures, triggering some protests and, rather unusually, a pre-trial. All them been jailed "preventively".

But the most important meaning is to say, not just to ETA, but to all those hopeful of some kind of solution in the short run, who are most in the Basque Country (not so many in Spain it seems), that the State of Spain is not accepting the good will signals from the armed group.

It is also and foremost a message to the Spanish Right that the government is not renouncing to the repressive road to peace, a road that most here would consider impossible or even undesirable.

We are therefore witnessing, I understand, a sign of weakness of the Spanish socialdemocrats, who, the same as other "liberal left" parties elsewhere appear only to be able to govern under the ominous shadow of the right, specially the belligerant Reganist quasi-fascist far-right. This phenomenon is known as "violin government": supported by the left but effectively played by the right.

In this sense, ETA has now issued a new communication, which is published by Gara today but only in the print edition it seems.

The armed group responds in this communication to the Brussels Declaration issued by a number of senior public figures from South Africa, Ireland and Britain and declares to assume its part of responsability in this. The Brussels Declaration reads:

Statement by International Leaders in Conflict Resolution and Peace Processes

We, the undersigned, welcome and commend the proposed steps and new public commitment of the Basque Pro-independence [Movement] (Abertzale Left) to "exclusively political and democratic" means and a "total absence of violence" to attain its political goals. Fully carried out, this commitment can be a major step in ending the last remaining conflict in Europe. We note the expectation that the coming months may present a situation where the commitment to peaceful, democratic and no-violent means becomes an irreversible reality. To that end, we appeal to ETA to support this commitment by declaring a permanent, fully verified ceasefire. Such a declaration appropriately responded to by [Spanish] Government would permit new political and democratic efforts to advance, differences to be resolved and lasting peace attained.

Signatories:

-Nelson Mandela Foundation
-Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Peace Nobel Prize. South Africa).
-Frederik Willem de Klerk (Peace Nobel Prize. Former South African President).
-Mary Robinson (Former Irish President).
-John Hume (Peace Nobel Prize. Took part in the Good Friday Accord for Ireland).
-Albert Reynolds (Former Irish Prime Minister).
-Jonathan Powell (Chief of Cabinet form Tony Blair).
-Nuala 0'Loan (First Police Ombud in North Ireland).

The wording chosen by ETA seems subtle but I am not in condition to judge it until I buy the newspaper (if I do), as it doesn't seem that Gara is publishing it integrally online this time. The online article quotes the sentence: disposition to study jointly the steps needed by the democratic process, included the compromises to be adopted by ETA.

ETA hence seems to emphasize the democratic process of resolution (i.e. eventual self-determination) and seems to condition any permanent demilitarization steps to advance in the negotiation process. Nothing new really but I would not have expected anything else either. Meh, it's been more than 40 years now! And the last time they already issued a "permanent" declaration of ceasefire, what in the end lasted "only" one year. So issuing another would be futile rhetoric.

You may agree or not with what ETA says or does, but that is exactly what has been going on for the last 40-plus years. All my life. On one side there is a Spanish nationalist (Jacobin/Post-Fascist) state that has as principle the territorial integrity of the remaining state (after losing the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium and most of Italy, most of America, Philippines, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, West Sahara, etc.) as "sacred" and on the other there is this armed group and akin political movement saying that they do not settle for anything but the right of self-determination and sovereignty of the Basque People. They have been bumping heads forever (ETA is just the latest symptom, we can easily go back through the centuries to the Bagaudae with almost no stop in the struggle) and it does not seem likely they will suddenly find any kind of agreement possible.

The case of Ireland shows us that other possibilities do exist but a very different thing is to actually implement them, specially as the approach of Britain is generally less dogmatic than those of Jacobin Latin European states, derived ultimately from French Absolutism.

ETA says: if there is democratic will, it is possible to solve the conflict now and here.

It also attributes itself, with mariner language, the bravery of relaunching the opportunity for peace:

Before the close-mindedness of Spain and France, ETA has launched again the ship of opportunity for the democratic solution of the conflict. And it has taken the first decision without throwing the anchor, ready to sail into deeper waters.

They look as reference anyhow not only to Ireland but also to Central and Eastern Europe, where many new states have formed recently, as well as to Greenland and Scotland, where self-determination processes are ongoing with full normality.

They also make an appeal to international institutions and agents to impel the peace process: a democratic process that provides a permanent, just and democratic solution to a centuries old political conflict.

ETA confirms that it has been willingly for six full months without committing any attack. And complains that the various Spanish governments have wasted all opportunities for peace so far.

Source: Gara[es]. More briefly also at BBC[en].

Child soldier's confession under torture is legal evidence for USA

The outrageous case of Guantanamo Nazi prison, which has not yet been dismantled by Barack Obama in spite of his electoral promises, goes one step further as Omar Khadr is going to face a farce trial under his military captors who took him from Afghanistan when he was 15 years old.

The accusation, for which he could face a life sentence, is to throw a grenade killing a US soldier, in the context of the US/NATO invasion of Afghanistan in 2002, of more than questionable legitimacy itself.

The only evidence: his own confession, obtained under the system of torture that is well known to operate in the colonial base in Cuba.

Under international law, child soldiers are to be considered victims.

Under any sensible law as well, confession obtained under tortures or possible tortures cannot be evidence. Otherwise it is going back to the times of the Inquisition.

However the military tribunal that is to judge Omar Khadr has accepted this only piece of "evidence" as valid. Khadr is however still hopeful that justice will prevail and rejects to enter a plea bargain.

The young Omar Khadr, now 23, has seen some of the best years of his life wasted in one of the worst prisons on Earth.

While he initially cooperated with his captors, he is now set not to accept the impositions of the farce trial and may even dismiss his military attorney out of lack of faith on the system.

The world doesn't get it, so it might work if the world sees the US sentencing a child to life in prison, it might show the world how unfair and sham this process is. And if the world doesn't see all this, to what world am I being released to? A world of hate ... and discrimination.

I hate to say this but he is damn right. It may cost him dearly but it is on this kind of fearless heroism that justice is built upon.

Source: Al Jazeera


____________

Update (Aug 13): Daphne Eviatar reports at the Huffington Post on the first day of the farce-trial which was suspended indefinitely (or for 30 days, not fully clear) after the defense lawyer suddenly collapsed while interrogating a witness.

It is interesting the report on the actual facts that seem to transpire in the trial: Omar Khadr was not just a minor at the time of the alleged "crime" (fighting in a war, defending his country from a foreign invasion if anything) but there is absolutely no evidence that he even fought at all. There are reports that the person who threw the grenade, killing a US soldier, was someone else and that Khadr did not even participate in the combat at all, where he had been brought by his father in a clear case of parental coercion.

They also report that he was shot in the back twice in spite of being unarmed, (i.e. a civilian minor) surviving almost miraculously. Daphne Eviatar asks: who is the real war criminal here?

Spanish Supreme Court sees no crime but false confession under tortures, revoking Inquisition sentence

The Spanish Supreme Court has slapped again the New Inquisition tribunal (Audiencia Nacional) in the case of five Basque youths earlier declared guilty on the crime of support of terrorist organization and sentenced to five years of prison.

The five Basque citizens denounced tortures upon arrest and incommunication and signed self-inculpatory declarations at the police station where they "acknowledged" that they had distributed ETA's bulletin Zutabe.

Only on such "evidence", they were sentenced to five years of jail for support of terrorist organization.

Now the Supreme Court considers that there is total lack of evidence and that they should have been acquitted in first trial, accusing the Audiencia Nacional of sloppiness. It also says that the attitude of the state attorney in the case, trying to keep the original condemnatory sentence is "improper", as the state is supposed to defend human rights and the presumption of innocence.

Another issue highlighted by the high tribunal is that issuing the sentence after the original trial, took more than two years!

One of the victims of this case of tortures and false accusations, Mikel Zenigaonaindia, denounced recently (photo above) that he had been stalked by police, who threatened him with murder: "you are going to end like Txiki and Otaegi", who were the last two people executed by the Fascist regime in September 27 1975.

Of course no action was or will be taken against those policemen. That's how justice works in the Kingdom of Spain.

Source: Gara.

10 Basque prisoner rights militants arrested. Three attorneys among them. Two hospitalized after detention.

Ten Basque citizens related with the movement of support to prisoners were arrested yesterday by the Guardia Civil (military police) in Biscay and Gipuzkoa. Among them there are three attorneys, who were captured in their workplaces, and a teacher who had been "warned" in a previous irregular arrest and was taken at gunpoint before her young pupils.

Two of the arrested, Erramun Landa and Saioa Agirre, were brought tonight to the Basurto Hospital at Bilbao, what makes the usual suspicions of tortures more than likely. Erramun Landa, professor at the University of the Basque Country, is said to have a serious chronic illness, reason why the family has presented a demand of habeas corpus.

List of the arrested:

• Arantxa Zulueta, attorney. Arrested at her office in Bilbao.
• Naia Zurrriarain, former prisoner and co-worker of Zulueta. Arrested in the same office.
• Two attorneys (unknown identities yet) arrested at Hernani.
• José Luis Gallastegi, in charge of the fishing section of workers' union LAB and also former prisoner. Arrested at his office in Lekeitio.
  
• Erramun Landa, professor of Arts and famous painter. Arrested in Bilbao.
• Saioa Agirre, teacher. Arrested at her classroom in Sopela before all her young pupils. She had been "warned" by the Spanish police in a previous irregular detention and interrogation in the mountains.
  
• Juan Mari Jauregi. Arrested at his home in Donostia (San Sebastian).
• Asier Etxabe. Arrested in Donostia as well (no further details known yet).
• Joxe Domingo Aizpurua, former prisoner. Arrested in Usurbil. The police beat two of his nephews in the event.

In most of the cases, the police did not show any arrest order. Only the case of Agirre was exceptional in this sense because she resisted arrest until such order was shown.

The operation was ordered by the judge of the Spanish Inquisition (Audiencia Nacional) Fernando Grande-Marlaska. All prisoners are incommunicated. While the procedure is under secrecy, official sources had no problem filtering the contents of it to the press and even making public declarations. According to these the ten arrested are accused of "belonging" or "collaborating" with ETA.

However, considering the nature of the arrests, most political and social organizations in the Basque Country have denounced them as a political operation meant to damage the possible negotiation process demanded by Basque society and international actors.

Teachers and students protested at the University against the arrests

Several protests took place during searchs and in other contexts. Basque autonomous police charged violently against those concentrated in Lekeitio.

Source: Gara[es] (link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4).

Update (Apr 20): five of the arrested, plus another one later captured by French Police, have been left free, though in some cases the state attorney keeps the accusations. The people still arrested are the attorneys Jon Enparantza, Arantza Zulueta and Iker Sarriegi, along with Naia Zurriarain and Saioa Agirre.

Nothing is known yet of the declarations nor the state of the prisoners after five days in isolation in the infamous dungeons of the Spanish police.

The apparent lack of real substance of the accusation is underlined by the case of the only person arrested in French territory, David Plá, who was freed without charges after the French authorities saw no basis for the Spanish accusation. (Source).

Update (Apr 20): the arrested denounced threats of tortures, specifically the following techniques: "the bag" (axfisiation with a plastic bag), "the bathtube" (waterboarding), electrodes and beatings. The women among them also denounced sexual abuses. Gallastegi also denounced being forced to keep forced positions and make sit ups (source).

On trial for reporting tortures

Yesterday began an unprecedented trial here at Bilbao: two people are being judged for reporting to the press a case of tortures by the Spanish police (Ibon Meñika, 2006). The accused are Julen Larrinaga, speaker of the pro-amnesty movement (no official name anymore as they have been illegalized more than once), and Aiert Larrarte, lawyer of Torturaren Aurkako Taldea (TAT, Group Against Torture). They are charged with defamation of the police.

The defendants rejected any agreement with the state prosecutor and also rejected to reply to his questions in court. They denounced that most cases of torture are just dismissed in the Spanish tribunals with ridiculous sentences of about two lines but that in the less biased international forums the name of Spain appears once and again in the reports of tortures and human rights abuses.

They denounced also that in the case of Meñika, the situation was the same: before a likely and consistent report of tortures, the case was filed without any minimally serious investigation (Meñika was not even questioned by the judge).

In a parallel development, Amnesty International reported yesterday that they have serious doubts on wether in Spain tortures are investigated at all. AI asked from the Spanish PM to report to Parliament on this matter and to adopt a protocol for prevention of torture. They demanded the end of the incommunication period, in agreement with what UN and the EC recommend.

Source: Gara.
.

Spain ignores UN recommendations against torture

The UN report confirmed the existence of torture in Spain and suggested to supress the incomunication period (of up to 15 days, if I recall correctly) where most of the abuses happen. Instead he government is pushing ahead a mostly cosmetic modification of the law that, while would supress incommunication for minors, will keep it as it is for the rest. The measures proposed are to record audio-visually the stance of incommunicated prisioners in police stations and to allow a second physician (yet one appointed by the government too) to survey the state of the arrested.

Also the Spanish government (with the complicity of the media) is "hiding" two other reports by international organizations that also denounce widespread tortures under police arrest, one by UN Comission for Human Rights and the other by the Comitee for Prevention of Torture.

Source: Gara.

Chinese revenge police-killer very popular

And certainly, after reading the news on his case, I also sympathize with him. I never liked police anyhow and the guy, who stabbed to death six cops in a Shanghai police station, claims to have done it as revenge for tortures.

Personally, I think that, if everybody would act like that, getting revenge even at the expense of one's life, there would be much less injustice in the world, as it would be just way too costly to abuse others. As Gandhi put it: opressors can only opress because of the passivity of the opressed.

So here here there go my sympathies for the brave Yang Jia, lone fighter for justice in the world, who was executed yesterday. It may appear as a lost cause but it's obvious that his rage has opened the debate on police abuse and tortures in China. It's sometimes incredible what a single brave person can do, maybe not change the world in a day but certainly give such change a big push is possible.

Yang Jia

Morocco: conscience prisioners nearing death after two months of hunger strike

Ignacio Ramonet, director of Le Monde Diplomatique, writes at Rebelión on the ongoing unrest in Morocco, the silence in European media and the many cases of most brutal torture.

Her name is Zahra Budkur, she is twenty years old, student at Marakech University. After taking part in a protest march, she was beaten by police, jailed along with hundred other protesters in the sinister police station of Jamaâ El Fna square (visited daily by thousand tourists) and brutally tortured. Policemen forced her to remain naked, while she was having her menstruaion, for days before her comrades. In order to protest against this abuse, she began a hunger strike and now is in state of comma. Her life hangs from a thread.

Has anybody in Europe heard of this young woman? Have our media even mentione the tragic situation of Zahra? Not a word. Not either on another student, Abdelkebir El Bahi, thrown by police from a third storey and now bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life because of backbone fracture.

Zero information either on the other 18 sudents from Marakech, arrested with Zahra, who, in order to protest their arrest in Bulharez prision, are in hunger strike since June 11. Some cannot stand anymore, several vomit blood, others are losing their sight and yet others, in comma, had to be hospitalized.

All this among the general indifference and silence. Only their relatives have protested, what has been seen as sign of rebellion, and have been hatefully beaten for it.

All this happens not in any remote country like Tibet, Colombia or South Osetia but just 14 km from Europe, in a country visited every year by millions of Europeans and whose regime enjoys in our media and among our leaders of great tolerance and complacency.

Nevertheless, since last year, all around Morocco protests multiply: urban revolts against living costs and rural uprisings against abuses. The bloodiest mutiny happened last June 7th at Sidi Ifni when a peaceful demonstration against unemployement in that city was repressed with such brutality that caused a major uprising with street barricades, building burnings and attempts of lynching some authorities. In response police forces acted with unmeasured brutality. (...)

The article continues analyzing the silencing of press, the vanished hopes of democratization with the young king (tyrant) Mohammed VI, the feudal latifundist property (and power) structure of the country, the fast growing economy (thanks to the millions of emigrants and their money transfers). But he also comments on the strong dynamics of civil society and its growing political activities, organized both in secularist and islamist groups - the latter being most benefitted from state repression, while it is precisely the alleged threat of islamism what (among other reasons) justifies the blind eye of European authorities and media.

Source: Rebelión: El polvorín Marruecos

Related posts:
- More on the brutal repression in Sidi Ifni
- Morocco attacks Al Jazeera for reporting protests and deaths in Sidi Ifni

Daily bread: arrests, torture, police impunity, defenseless citizens

Press conference yesterday of the relatives of the lastly arrested Basque citizens, two of which were released (one on bail) and the other two remain in prision accused of belonging to Ekin (a ghostly organization of dubious existence, allegedly related to ETA). According to the civil rights organization Askatasuna (Freedom), they were treated properly by police until their arrival to Madrid, where they suffered tortures.

The two women still under arrest are Maitane Intxaurraga and Maider Caminos. Noé López and Amaia Legarra were released after interrogation and judicial declaration.

Image of the press conference

Testimonies:

Fran Balda, husband of Intxaurraga: Sunday morning we were driving to the Shepherds' Day festival at Uharte Arakil. After a while, I noticed something was going wrong because two cars were following us.

One of them blocked our way forcing us to stop and, from it, a masked person came out handing a gun and yelling. He was out of his mind. I asked him to relax and remove the wepon because that way he would only scare the children but he ignored me. Finally he took Maitane out of the car by force.

Lur, the elder daughter [13 years-old], began to cry desperately while watching her mother being taken, while Iker, the younger son [4 y.o.], felt terribly at witnessing that situation.

That evening the police registered the family home. Before finishing Balda argued with one of the police commanders. He prostested that all the fault was my wife's, because of getting involved in such mess. I replied that my wife has not been judged nor sentenced yet, so asked him to shut up.

Irantzu Legarra, sister of Amaia Legarra. While Amaia, town councilor in Basaburua, was free on bail of 4,000 euros by then and managed to be at the press conference, she could not recall publically all suffered while under arrest, as she became overcome by sadness. Her sister did in her place.

She told us that she was hit several times on the head and that has been under continuous verbal threats. In Pamplona she was treated properly but upon arrival to Madrid pressure began. She was not allowed to sleep in all four days she was in custody.

They have been playing all the time with her. First, they yelled at her and forced her to be with her head lowered, then they told her to relax and "there was nothing to worry". She was threatened with "the bag" [breath deprivation using a plastic bag] and other tortures but finally they spared her that part.

She was arrested atby two masked men who did not identify as policemen, so she was calling for help desperately but nobody coul aid her.

Amaia Albizu, mother of Noé López. The young Noé, free without charges, could not be present at the press conference because of a major depresive crisis, triggered by the anxiety attacks he suffered while under arrest that caused him to be hospitalized twice.

His mother declared: My son is a very healthy guy, who had never before suffered this kind of crisis. It is terrifying to think in the anguish, pressure and fear that he had to suffer while arrested for this to happen.

She denounced the attitude of miltary policemen at the hosptal: Every time that the doctor or nurses entered the room, they went in with them, and even told them not to inform of the health state of Noé to his relatives. This way, she said, they attempted to create a muddy enviroment at the hospital for doctors to get tired and allow police to take him back.

Source: Gara: Operación policial en Nafarroa. "Los han detenido por trabajar en favor de Euskal Herria".

Arbitrary arrests and torture: the daily bread.

At least in the Basque Country, though I know it happens in other places too (though most are not in EU, whatever that may mean).

The latest: among the late wave of mostly arbitrary and politically motivated arrests in Gipuzkoa, all have denounced tortures, wether physical or psychological. One of them, Aitor Alberdi, was so depressed by the isolation and police abuse, who shown him repeatedly what looked like an arrest grant against his girlfriend, that he tried to kill himself by the expeditive method of biting his wrists.

Five of the arrested, who eventually got out on bail, denounced publically and before the judges the tortures suffered, but the media covering this issue has been just a fraction of the ones covering the mediatized propagandistic arrests, presented by the authorities as a big hit against urban guerrilla.

Haizea Iriarte told how she was placed in a room beside her boyfriend (still in prision), separated by a single direction glass, so he could see her but she could not see him. Each time she answered something that the cops didn't like, they forced her to strip of one piece of her clothes. At the same time he was also beaten and abused.

Image of the press conference

They have been denied the right to be exmined by a forsenic physician, the right to name their lawyer, the right to declare in their mother tongue...

But I won't say this is annomalous at all. The real problem is that it is way too normal. It happens almost every day, in every corner of the Basque Country under Spanish administration. Then hey sentence people based only on self-inculpatory declarations obtained under torture and police reports that often have nothing to do with reality. Evidence?, what for? Presumption of innocence?, that's in Hollywood films. Human rights?, rights are, apparently, just for the far right criminals. Impartial judges?, don't make me laugh!

There were also protests in Oiartzun

Source: Gara: 'Hospitalizado uno de los últimos detenidos después de autolesionarse tras cinco días de incomunicación".

For further and regularly updated info on tortures and other rights violations in the Basque Coutry, read Torturaren Kontrako Taldea's site (in Spanish).

Spanish "democracy" in the Basque Country

Several elected representatives of Basque nationalist ideas have called for active abstention for the upcoming Spanish general elections. After the press conference nine of them have been arrested.



What can I say that has not been said already a zillion times?

We urgently need our own sovereign state like Kosova.

Meanwhile the images of the severe lesions caused by Spanish police to the alleged ETA member Igor Portu have come to light. The police version is absolutely incredible but they will get away with it: it's happened many times before.



Other images available HERE.

... and no need to add further comments, right?