The Permanent Social Forum has shown concern about the alert that Etxerat generated last week about communication cuts in four prisons in the Spanish state. Etxerat denounced that “restrictive measures” are being taken using the COVID-19 outbreak in prisons as an excuse: to ban in-person visits and to quarantine prisoners who have been visited.

For this reason, the agent considers that it is "necessary" for the Basque Government to propose the rapprochement of Basque political prisoners, "especially to bring the family of each prisoner closer to the surrounding prisons". In particular, the transfer is requested to Martutene, Basauri and Zaballa. In addition, he has again called on the Government of Navarra to propose a similar plan for all the prisoners in Navarre to be transferred to the prison in Pamplona.

The Forum underlined that the proposal includes in the Basque Parliament “a greater political consensus than in the previous legislature”: “It is currently supported by 90.6% of the House, compared to 88% of the XI Legislature”. The Forum recalls that, formally, the proposal is supported by the PNV, the PSE-EE, EH Bildu and Elkarrekin Podemos, and that the European Council has also given them the reason. The guidelines of the Council of Europe are mere recommendations that do not have direct applicability to the domestic policy of the countries.

Transfers

Meanwhile, Basque prisoners have been transferred to different parts of the State, without a rapprochement to Euskal Herria. Itxaso Zaldua has been transferred from Soto del Real (Madrid) to Topas prison (Salamanca). Raúl Fuentes, meanwhile, will travel from Villena de Valencia to Soto del Real to Madrid.