On 23 November we filed a complaint with Hala Bedi Irratia against an ertzaina for obstructing the work of a journalist who was recording the eviction of the feminist space Talka. The Court of Justice of Álava has closed the case after only the declaration of the ertzaina was received at the first stage of the investigation, on the understanding that its innocence is credited.

We do not agree with the judicial resolution and we are going to appeal because the video presented as evidence has not been taken into account and the testicular tests we ask in the complaint have not been carried out. The investigation has been “unserious”, has been very unbalanced and has not clarified the case, has merely taken for granted the version of the police.

It is common for the police to have more weight than the rest, but this should not be the case when the accused person is the ertzaina himself. That is why we will demand that the investigation continue, so that the matter is clarified in a more balanced way.

Second collision eviction

On 8 May, an ertzaina retired the phone and threatened a fine of EUR 300,000 to a journalist from Hala Bedi who reported on the eviction of the feminist space TALKA.

The Ertzaintza warned the journalist that he could not record the police action claiming that he was a "natural person" and that this was established by the "Royal Data Protection Decree of 25 May 2018". During the discussion, the police, among threats, forced Hala Bedi's member to give the phone.

The removal of the telephone was not only a police abuse, but also its arguments and threats had no legal basis. On the contrary, every citizen, whether a journalist or not, has the right to record the police, as they are active public officials, and the right to citizen information ensures that police action can be documented.