argia.eus
INPRIMATU
Former refugees Luis Roncero and Anartz Aranbarri return to Basque Country
  • The Etxerat association reports that vitorian Luis Elisardo Roncero Retortillo and ondarrutarra Anartz Aranbarri Etxaniz have returned to Euskal Herria. Both are former refugees because of the Basque conflict.
Xabier Letona Biteri @xletona 2023ko otsailaren 23a
LABek Iruñean deportatu eta iheslariak Euskal Herriratzearen alde egindako mobilizazio bat. (Arg.: LAB)

Luis Elisardo Roncero returned to Vitoria last January and Anartz Aranbarri was released on Tuesday after arriving from Venezuela and passing through the Spanish National Audience. Anartz Aranbarri awaits trial and must attend the National Hearing once a week.

Through the Biarritz Declaration, the Basque Political Refugees Collective opened its doors in 2013 so that refugees escaped or deported by the Basque conflict could return to Euskal Herria. Refugees have come back gradually, but since then, in particular, several refugees come back each year.

The Etxerat association has reported that, however, at the moment there are still 18 exiles and five Basque deportees without returning to the Basque Country.

40 years outside the Basque Country

As a result of the Basque conflict, in the 1980s, the agreements between Spain and France led to more than 70 people from Basque armed groups being expelled from France to different parts of the world, countries of Africa and South America. In subsequent decades, dozens of militants, mostly from ETA, fled the police for fear of repression or on the recommendation of ETA, as difficulties to protect themselves in France increased.

In this 2021 Larrun, Zigor Olabarria developed in depth a reality that has been almost silent since the 2000s.