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INPRIMATU
The case of Alsasua, pending a final judgment
  • The defenders have denounced that there is not enough evidence to condemn young people and that the procedure is fraught with irregularities. The Prosecutor’s Office has defended the penalties in an act of tribute to the Civil Guard in Vitoria. With the decision of the Spanish Supreme Court of Justice, the judgment of the Supreme Court is firm.
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The young people of Alsasua were sentenced by the National Court to between two and thirteen years ' imprisonment, and their lawyers filed an appeal with the Spanish Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has examined the appeal on Wednesday, three years after the judgment of origin.

Youth lawyers, in general, have denounced that the trial and sentence have not been fair, alleging several causes. They claim that there is insufficient evidence to convict the accused and that the presumption of innocence of the accused has not been respected. The defenders consider that the identification of young people has been unfounded and that the Civil Guard has carried out a partial investigation. The defenses have also called for the rejection of the "ideological discrimination" against the Civil Guard, which was accepted as an aggravating factor by the National Court. This aggravating factor has prolonged prison sentences against young people convicted of such acts for years.

Spain, Rey, Constitution

The Supreme Prosecutor, Álvaro Redondo, has vehemently advocated that the ruling of the National Court be maintained. The defence has charged all the arguments of the accusation, which it has categorically denied. Justifying the ideological aggravation, he indicated that the events occurred as a result of the Civil Guard "defending Spain, the King and the Constitution". With regard to evidence and identification, he argued that the court should give more value to some of the witnesses than to others.

The judgment

The Supreme does not have a specific time limit for sentencing. Several media outlets have indicated, citing legal sources, that the announcement will be made public in twenty days. The Supreme may decide to absolve young people, reduce their sentences or maintain them, as reported by the Supreme.

With the decision of the Supreme Court, the judgment of the National Court will be final. In practice, the judgment of the Supreme is the last opportunity to reduce the penalties of young people. If the judgment is to be appealed, the next step would be the Constitutional Court (TC), which has ratified the judgment. However, that court would not study whether the constitutional rights of the defendants have been violated, but has confined itself to declaring the facts. Subsequently, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg would be the last option, but before a resolution is issued, young people would have already served the sentence.