On Tuesday morning, the Sare platform explained to the press how the situation of the grade progressions of Basque prisoners stands and warned that justice has become a “legal weapon of far-right politics” to continue with an exceptional prison policy.

In total, 32 Basque prisoners 2.etik 3.era have been allowed to leave prison. But the Prosecutor’s Office of the Spanish National Court has appealed, the Central Court of Prison Surveillance (CREC) has begun to recover the ranks and there are already six prisoners who have had to return to prison. Last Monday: Oñatiarra Joseba Arrangi returns to Martutene prison, after the 3rd grade annulment they gave him in February. Arrangi is 76 years old and has spent 31 in prison.

There are 11 other persons pending resolution of the appeal brought by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Four more people are ratified in the third grade by the EEC. Sara recalls that in the case of three of the latter four the Public Prosecutor's Office has appealed: “The Prosecutor’s Office’s attitude to avoid exceptional criteria and to obstruct the return of Basque prisoners home has no limits.”

Sara warns that the prosecution is using false arguments to reject the progressions of grades. The Platform states that 110 inmates are covered half of the sentence, so all are in a position to obtain the third grade, in accordance with article 36 of the Penal Code.

Blocking and mobilisation

They have strongly criticised the fact that the prosecution does not focus on the criteria of justice, and that they do not care about the attitude of prisoners or the reports that are being made in favour of their progress to a degree. They denounce that they have led “to the extreme” “judicial positions prevarication”. Sara claims that the arguments in the appeals are false. Among other things, the prosecution says that prisoners have “a long time” to serve their sentences, and that is why they cannot be allowed to leave prison in 3rd grade. In addition, they argue that they have not had prior prison authorization and that they cannot suddenly be granted third grade if they have not been on the street before. “But it is the prosecution itself that opposes accepting these prison permits,” they criticized.

The Citizen Network has announced that it will continue to mobilize against this situation and that it will defend coexistence “even if they bet on confrontation”. They announce the next mobilisation: on 10 December, in Durango, on the occasion of human rights day, at 17:30 they will leave Landako to reclaim ordinary prison policy and the repatriation of prisoners.