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INPRIMATU
Three years after the disarmament of ETA, Parot, ESNAL and Haranburu should be on the street, according to Bake Bidea
  • The delegation of Bake Bidea to Ipar Euskal Herria has made public a statement coinciding with the third anniversary of ETA’s disarmament on 8 April. In particular, they have expressed concern about the situation of Basque prisoners Ion Parot, Jakes Esnal and Xistor Haranburu.
ARGIA @argia 2020ko apirilaren 08a
Urtarrilean Baionan presoen eskubideen alde egindako manifestazioan bezala, Ipar Euskal Herriko joera politiko guztietako ordezkariek bat egin dute Bake Bidearen adierazpenean.

The delegation of Ipar Euskal Herria in Bake Bidea recalled in a press release the words spoken on 8 April 2017 in the act of staging the disarmament of ETA against 20,000 people. At that time, they stated that the issue of the victims of the conflict, that of “all the victims”, had to be addressed, as Bake Bidea said. They also stressed the need to put an end to "conditions of detention that are only willing to make them suffer".

Three years later, the delegation of Ipar Euskal Herria on the Road to Peace has described current events as "dramatic". “It’s 30 years since Ion Parot, Jakes Esnal and Xistor Haramburu were incarcerated in France. Acts committed in Spain between 1978 and 1989 were sentenced to life imprisonment by French justice. If they had been tried in Spain, that is, where the attacks were committed, they would be condemned to a maximum of 30 years. Today they would be free,” explains Bake Bidea.

In the French State, however, they were sentenced to life imprisonment and, despite the security periods of 15-18 years, they have systematically rejected requests for the adaptation of the penalties requested. Despite the steps that have been taken in Euskal Herria since 2011, “despite the fact that the Court of Application of Penalties admits the adequacy of the sentence, the prosecutor systematically presents an appeal!”, said Bake Bidea.

“The situation is incomprehensible, unfair and dangerous,” says Bake Bidea. “If there is no decision to release them today, it means that this political option is accepted: The punishment these prisoners will have to face until they die! In a country where the death penalty has been abolished almost 40 years ago, we understand what it means and we cannot accept it. Nor can we accept that the unanimous commitment of society in its plurality is unnecessary. That is also incomprehensible, unfair and dangerous.”

Bake Bidea has considered this moment to be crucial to the peace process and has therefore called for the release of the three prisoners of eta.

The members of Bake Bidea’s delegation are: Jean-René Etchegaray, President of the Commonwealth of Iparralde and Mayor of Baiona; Vincent Bru, Member of the Atlantic Pyrenees; Frédérique Espagnaray, Senator and Territorial Counsellor of New Aquitaine; Max Brisson, Senator of the Atlantic Pyrenees and Councillor of the Communities of Biarritz.