Nothing special about the news if it wasn’t for something that worries, worries and motivates us: our own Basque political prisoners. The aforementioned communication tools use a double language but end up in the same place. “There are no political prisoners in democracy.” “There are no political prisoners in the French and Spanish states.” “They are terrorists.” “Victims demand reparation”... These have become a basic part of the message. That is to say, a strong political message, a verdict and an unlimited reprisal that can be left silent.

The second part is, “They Own Their Rights.” “They need to be closer to home.” The law must be obeyed.” “We must comply with the prison regulations” is nothing more than the camouflage suit of the first main part, always from the point of view of legality and human rights. In fact, keeping the first part of the message in silence, they deeply affect the sensitivity of the society.

While they're playing hiding, they're stealing our answers. I mean, is there democracy for the Basque Country? Is there really a prisoner for political reasons? Are you sure there are no political prisoners in the French and Spanish states? What is this about the terrorists? Victims demand reparation, an interesting and important debate in any political conflict, but today’s does not provide for everything.

Instead, following the intimidated and intimidated message of an opinion, we camouflage such questions and the answers that are needed, without entering into unfortunate matters by the right of our occupier, oppressor and exploiter. As such, many people devote themselves to what the enemy wants, even if he is the enemy of all, or so I understand it.

Thus, looking at another distant but similar field, one can admire the feelings of solidarity towards refugees in the Middle East, but provoked by the West, which has always been stealing: gas, natural water, oil, precious metals, strategic geopolitical territory, etc. Understandable sentiments that happen to emerge after major disasters, invasions and massacres caused by the West in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, in short.

Stop is not demanded of interference in free countries, of the ravine, of invasions to free ourselves from the clutches of evil, of imperialism... For the first time we make wars and invasions, and then, without taking any responsibility on the part of the invaders or exterminators, we recognize that the consequences of what has been done with the permission of “all” belong to all of us, without taking into account that the agents of the disasters are the real economic powers of the states.

So, instead of the human rights that interest the Spanish state and the French state, why don’t we talk about the reasons why there are political prisoners and, specifically, Basque political prisoners? Why not the existence of political youth and the political reprisals that exist as a result of it?

We also say that human rights for the benefit of the repressor, the occupier and the exploiter, which are lauded for the same purpose, are one thing that many of us remember, which are truly for all and for all, that is, human rights and political rights: housing, education, all health benefits, the right to learn, rest, antipatriarchal culture, to be supportive and to resist tyranny, freedom, invaded and massacred or displaced, immigration, non-refoulement, non-refoulement.

Likewise, the individual and collective rights of individuals: language, ethnicity, geographic location, development, sex, belief, political thought, disagreement and being different, internationalism... Something that is common and clear is camouflaged or denied.

The Basque Country has all the rights mentioned, as well as the Basque workers and prisoners. We just say it, and with all the words. In this way, there is a lot of confusion in this vortex created by each other, by the system that is defended and by those who do not want to oppose it (because it brings a lot of suffering and uncertainty).

We remember the amnesty and we say it clearly because, in addition to being the most direct and supportive issue, we have always considered it the best for our political and social struggle. This is the only path that does not harm the dignity of the militants and the future of the Basque Country. However, we do not enter into the premises that states may demand the release of our political prisoners, because they are not on the political table, nor on the table of dignity.

The Basque prisoners are political prisoners, precisely those political activists who have given their all for the free and socialist future that many of us proclaim. They must be on the street, in this way, they will continue the revolutionary process for the socialist Basque Country, all of which cannot be proclaimed without amnesty.

If not through amnesty, there is no other global solution for all political prisoners. In rare cases, even if one prisoner or another gets a nice individual opportunity, if the regulations are not followed, the rest will be left without a ticket. After all, it is the Spanish state and the French state that establish the regulations and the degree as well as the time of its application, and the lottery does not suit everyone, not even in dreams!

We would also like to refer to a matter which, in our view, is of the highest order and which is kept secret, either intentionally or unintentionally. It must be said that, in order to defend our political prisoners, there are people of good will who claim the human rights of the enemy. However, when we say that we must obey the law, from time to time because we are uncomfortable and rebellious or resisting for the rest of our lives, we call upon the system that occupies us and oppresses us to apply the law that assimilates, alienates and punishes us.

When we say that the prison regulations must be complied with, we must be aware that we are demanding that the Basque political prisoner and others suffer inhuman conditions, among others, locked in concrete blocks, without seeing anyone 24 hours a day except jailers or another prisoner in two hours, in a filthy hole without sound, we can barely see the square sky through the bars or metal nets above our heads, uniqueness and silence reign, threats and daily punishments for being a Basque, as well as threats and penalties for being a Basque person.

Both the Spanish and French legislation and that of the Basque and Spanish bourgeoisie are made to punish the revolutionary and the resistant, and these French and Spanish regulations do not even have a shred of rights or ethical or democratic principles, it is advisable to have them close to home, but you will have to earn that, to do so, you must follow the rules and then gradually (or not) improve your prison situation.

Through this type of blackmail, the system will assess whether you have behaved appropriately, so that every day your level of Basque will decrease, your solidarity with friends in a less favorable situation than you, so that you do not have a fighting model for Basque compatriots and others, only to think about your well-being. All this is of great importance in the new generations of Basque fighters, both in the case in which our warriors have surrendered and in the case in which they have resisted and we free them from their claws. In any case, it is essential to maintain the fight for what we love the most, that is, for the workers of our country.

Those who surrendered made the worst decision, that is, the path of surrender. It is a lifelong decision in which demands, claims or claims are routed and measured. Anyone who takes such a path is bound by arms and legs if they want to plan a battle plan for the social and national liberation of the Basque Country forever. We repeat: surrender is an option, however, it is the worst option, they can occupy us but that does not mean that we have been defeated.

On the other hand, we don’t want the smallest of the worst, presumably because there is no other viable option. Likewise, we do not want what is possible, because everything else cannot be achieved, as they say. There is a clear reason for this, first of all, because we will not place any limits on our passions, and we will not tolerate in ourselves a repressive police force that prevents us from thinking and wanting what we want.

We're not going to put bars on those who come after us. We will not be the ones who interrupt the historical process of liberation, those who follow us will have to move forward and their substitutes. Clearly, reformist ladies and gentlemen and lovers of personal wellbeing (Spanish, French or Basque). We will not waste the opportunity to be free, even if the bureaucracy has decided so.

We will take into account in our practice, with regard to the Basque workers, what is most beneficial for us, as well as the most direct, supportive, ethical, fair and reasonable. But we will have before us those who, directly or indirectly, bring or bring about alienation, the philosophy of “let one save oneself”, the lack of solidarity, the camouflaged miracles, the democracy of the bourgeoisie, the silence in the face of barbarism, the complicity of imperialism, etc. After all, it’s nothing for most people.

We all know we have an alternative. It’s not easy and you can’t buy it on time in a cheap bazaar. The struggle is the alternative to ourselves and several friends (and also to many who are tired, disappointed, upset, confused... at this time). We always know that we will fight. It’s like love for our loved ones, those who love us or care about us. To them we will add the Basque workers and through them we also love the working class of the world and all the oppressed people on Earth.

The post-date: I am the fourth Basque citizen to be banned from speaking/communicating with Txikito by by telephone, Iñaki Bilbao Goikoetxea, the Basque political prisoner Txikito, who has been inside for 33 and a half years, and the denunciation of the training of prison facilities between the two has been the reason to prevent communication.

So far we talked for five minutes of cardio, leaving the words almost unfinished, in order to save as much time as possible. After five minutes, the day was shaking. But the real reason for the ban lies in Txikito’s adherence to the demonstration of 24 June in Bilbao. The manifestation has the following headings: never inclined, we will achieve together, TOTAL AMNESTY. This is why we have human rights and political rights.

Let go of the demand to comply with the Spanish and French legislation and with the prison regulations in force, because that is the cause, because the situation of our political prisoners is also as it is. Specifically, after 33 and a half years of intense isolation, beatings and hunger strikes, this time Txikito has been reclassified into the first degree, that is, the first phase of the Spanish prison regulations. For those who cannot and hate constant persecution, there is also a fear that it will become a model of struggle alongside others.

Very few friends have the privilege of communicating with Txikito, and every time one of us asks him “How are you?”, “I’m fine. Calm for me and go ahead, because the fight will set us free!” he answers in a humble tone, and our heart is about to stop.

Jon IurrebasoAtutxa, former political prisoner of ETA