The Basque Government’s Minister for Equality, Justice and Social Policies, Beatriz Artolazabal, will not have to explain in the Basque Parliament the case of Koldo Arribilhgh,a neighbor of Vitoria-Gasteiz who died from chronic lung disease. On Wednesday, the PNV and PSE parliamentarians gathered their votes in the Basque Parliament’s social and youth policy committee to prevent the Elkarrekin Van-IU initiative from flourishing.

"It's not your competence."

The members of the ruling party have argued that the competencies in social services are in the hands of the deputies and that the explanations of Artozabal would be "very superficial", according to Aitor Urrutia (PNV): "The key, the competence and the responsibility lie with the Council and the City Hall," he added. In any case, the Jeltzale leader has announced that the Health Advisor, Gotzone Sagardui, will give "all the relevant explanations".

Elkarrekin Van-IU and EH Bildu have strongly criticised Artolazabal's avoiding the appearance of Artolazabal in Parliament's plenary session Vasco.María Garde, de EH Bildu, has described the decision as a "dangerous precedent", and has warned that the matter is not his responsibility or its competence, it is: "There are also other readings, the counselor has been asked to attend to explain his possible responsibility, because a homeless person has died and has not received adequate care, both from the health point of view and from the protection system."

"The perfect storm of inhumanity"

He died on 8 September last, without Osakidetza making any intervention to try to alleviate the ailment he suffered. To do so, the medical service required him to have a home in order to be able to do a postoperative period, but he did not have it, after having been evicted from the home of the mother who lived.

The victim, 55 years old and neighbour of Vitoria-Gasteiz, also went to the municipal social services in search of solutions. The association Inor ez Etxerik Gabe explained that, although she was cared for in the El Campillo center, they did not give her a fixed place to sleep. For his part, Osakidetza explained that Arribilwaukee was in "a serious state of health", but "no one has ever been left without processes due to lack of housing".

Iñaki Uribarri, a member of the Argilan-ESK platform, has described the case as "the perfect storm of institutional inhumanity". On October 6, a mobilization took place in Vitoria-Gasteiz to denounce the death, called for by the Right to Housing Initiative and against Social Exclusion.