Around 100 legal experts have published a manifesto on Thursday denouncing irregularities in case 13/13. Among other things, they regretted the attitude of the Public Prosecutor's Office during the judicial sessions held at the Spanish National Hearing in spreading the idea that "ETA has not disappeared". "One thing that cannot be supported," they explained in the first point of the manifesto, is that ETA announced ten years ago the cessation of armed activity and handed over arms in 2017 and was later dissolved."
"After ten years, we understand that tacit regulations need to be deconstructed," the lawyers say in the text, in which they believe that the Special Jurisdiction of the National Court should also be suspended. In this sense, they have demanded that criminal law be interpreted "objectively" in criminal laws.
Twice condemn those accused for an event, the lack of control over the CNI police who have carried out the investigation, the allegations of torture of the accused, the violations of fundamental rights... There are many irregularities mentioned in the manifesto.
In the end, the lawyers conclude that this is a "summary of past times 13/13" and call for respect for the fundamental rights and judicial protection of defendants.
The trial against Arantza Zulueta, Jon Enparantza, Naia Zuriarrain, Saioa Agirre, Nerea Redondo, Julen Zelarain and Iker Sarriegi started last July and prosecutor José Perals asks the defendant for a total of 77 years in jail for "settling ETA's legal front". The defence had requested the suspension of the trial on the grounds that there were obvious irregularities in the proceedings, but the President of the court, Angela Murillo, denied the petition.
The last meeting was held on 29 October and the prosecution has continued to seek the same prison sentence against the accused, except in the case of Julen Zelarain. The Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) has also joined the call for assistance.
That was said to me by the former student, who took a long time to file a complaint that was in court months and who, on the recommendation of the psychologist, had withdrawn the complaint of rape. And I kept quiet, unable to guess what to tell the young man that he still had... [+]