The U.S. intelligence services. United States gave the Ertzaintza "anti-terrorist training" at the time of Ibarretxe
- In 2004, the Ertzaintza received an "anti-terrorist training" from US officials, according to a document declassified by the U.S. Department of State. The Spanish State received several benefits in exchange for the unconditional protection granted by the government of José María Aznar to the international policies of the United States. The Basque Government, headed by Juan José Ibarretxe, also took advantage of this context of the "war on terrorism" in the United States following the attacks of 11 September 2001 to combat ETA.
The report, which has now been declassified by the U.S. State Department, was published in March 2005 by Public Journalist Danilo Albín. George W. The "good relations" between the governments chaired by Bush and José María Aznar facilitated mutual support in the "global fight against terrorism". In this context, and according to the declassified document, the Bush intelligence services also maintained relations with the Basque Government, under the nationalist Juan José Ibarretxe in 2004: "The United States has given anti-terrorist training to the Basque Country Police," the report states. Javier Balza then led the Department of Interior. Asked by Public, the Basque Government did not want to comment on this issue.
The 2005 document reports a new working day for US officials: The Ertzaintza was formed along with the Mossos and the National Police regarding the "police investigation".
1999-2009: Ertzaintza, Ibarretxe -Balza and torture
According to the report of the Basque Government on cases of torture in the Basque Country between 1960 and 2014, the Ertzaintza has tortured 336 citizens, among the 4,113 cases of torture at that time. In the decade when Juan José Ibarretxe was lehendakari and Javier Balza Interior Advisor – between 1999 and 2009 – the Ertzaintza tortured at least 125 people. Balza at that time repeatedly denied the torture of the Ertzaintza in the media and in the Basque Parliament. Balza, for example, stated in 2002 that allegations of torture of detainees "are common practice as a slogan for identifying Ertzainas involved in interrogations".
Javier Balza left the front line of professional policy, while becoming an Interior Advisor. Since 2009 she has worked as a lawyer in the cabinet Uria Menéndez, one of the main references of Spanish capitalism. He has defended Petronor, led by his party colleague, Josu Jon Imaz, and Gorka Iraizoz.
