5 years. 1,825 days. 43,800 hours. That is what has happened through the Conference and the Declaration of Aiete. The short time or eternity, where we look at it.

Due to the previous work, the flow of the conference was immediate. In response to the first point of the statement, ETA announced three days later the final cessation of the armed action in Euskal Herria. From there the road has been more abrupt. In such processes, the Government of Spain (actively) and the Government of France (passively) have shown little known irresponsibility. The will to obstruct all the efforts that have been made on the road to peace has been clear from the outset. The International Verification Commission has been willing to cooperate in disarmament since the convening of the National Hearing to declare the last operation of the Carlepont arsenal. All of this with the usual obsolete and reactionary inflammatory tone in Spain. Hispanidad and race, little can be expected of a state that celebrates the savage genocide as a national day and even that on that day calls a police operation “discovery”. Despite the obstacles, the will for disarmament seems firm and a formula will have to be found to do so in an orderly and verifiable manner.

In the other areas, despite the wishes of the States, the steps have been taken thanks to the Basque individuals, agents and institutions. It may not be necessary, but progress has been made in the third and fourth point of the Aiete roadmap, that is, in the recognition of victims and in political dialogue. As far as the latter is concerned, we are told that there is still a short time and that, after a conflict that has caused so much suffering, more time is needed. This may be partly true and it seems that political actors are still in a transitional period to adapt to the new situation. However, the day will have to come when time ceases to be an excuse and when dealing with the political issue becomes a priority without waste of time.

Five years can be short of time and eternity. It is eternity in the violation of fundamental rights. For Basques who have to sleep hundreds of miles from the person who loves eternity. Prisoners, family members and friends continue to receive an additional sentence that is not contained in any sentence, as the sole aim is to make the prison as painful and as harsh as possible. In short, revenge. In addition to the removal, mention should be made of the non-release of seriously ill prisoners and unsustainable conditions inside the prison. One example of this is the situation of lawyer Arantza Zulueta. He has spent more than two and a half years in the isolation module, isolated, in horrible and painful living conditions: in an environment of violence, without intimacy and without the possibility of being with anyone and carrying out any kind of activity.

The second point in Aiete refers to the consequences of the conflict, but we cannot wait for a change of attitude on the part of the Spanish and French governments. In order to cope with this brutal oppression of human rights, it is essential to activate and organise civil society, as well as the commitment of political parties and local institutions. So comes the #Salatzen dut dynamic, driven by Sare, social movement for the rights of Basque prisoners. Because I believe in a democratic solution and I do not want one day to go on in this untenable situation: I denounce it.