The streets of many towns and neighborhoods of Euskal Herria have been full of activities for weeks. From respect for the rights of all Basque political prisoners who are fundamental rights, to purposes such as legitimate amnesty.

The harsh and unjust conditions imposed by the Spanish and French States in prisons to curb COVID-19 aggravated the situation of all prisoners. And once again, they used to intensify especially the violation of the rights of Basque political prisoners and prisoners.

On 14 March, the Spanish State decrees a "state of alarm" that violates the rights and freedoms of prisoners. It says that it does so in the name of the health and safety of the prisoners of eta. However, the maintenance in prison of the most vulnerable sectors, the denial to prisoners of access to kisses, or the fact that hundreds of prison officials are moving on a daily basis, upset the argument put forward.

Meanwhile, on the street, due to the state of alarm, the most active sectors of Euskal Herria had limited our capacity to influence. We work in towns and neighborhoods to mitigate the immediate effects of the coronavirus. And we began to prepare ourselves for the devastating effects that COVID-19 would leave in the future.

The implementation of the state of alarm was an attack on all rights and freedoms. In addition to the implementation of the confinement model to strengthen the State figure. This caused the military and police to be on the front line in the face of a health crisis. And trample on the rights of citizens and workers for the benefit of capital.

If all this happened on the street, when the intentionality of all the uniformed people is evident, what would happen in the jails, when the spaces of impunity are a thousand times more numerous?

This concern was palpable and accentuated with every new measure that the state of alarm brought with it. All the measures and plans they established made Basque political prisoners the most vulnerable group.

The seriousness of what was happening in prisons was evident. We knew that Basque political prisoners were not visited, that their rights were trampled underfoot and, in the meantime, there had never been a general call in the neighbourhoods and villages to denounce the unfortunate situation in the prisons.

Over the weeks, the streets, the natural spaces to make our demands known, remained silent. Balconies and social networks became spaces to continue militating. The serious situation in prisons during this time was not a mistake to focus on the political debate, but a political decision.

Beware! This political decision does not mean that nothing could be done. On the contrary, during the two months various activities have been taken up. These include an initiative launched in May by 25 organizations dedicated to the defense of human rights, a dynamic such as SOSPresoakCovid19 or a manifesto sponsored by 9 political organizations in the Spanish Congress.

But this political decision, when denouncing the worsening living conditions of Basque political prisoners, meant doing so in certain parameters. Giving the PNV a painful prominence, one of the drivers of the policy of dispersion. Or to Podemos, the party in the Spanish Government, which if it does not want to be part of the solution, will be part of the problem.

On the subject of prisoners, it is important that progress be made in the consensus between different parties. But in exclusionary terms, we understand that it's a mistake. The argument that these consensuses should be limited if progress is to be made is unacceptable. It is worrying to read that the spaces and agreements reached on the road to repatriation can be damaged as a result of the forms used for the denunciation. Serious, which means that the tension that can occur on the street to keep the puzzle pieces together is fully conditioned.

In this context, two months after the Spanish and French Governments once again established an emergency prison policy against Basque political prisoners! On 10 May, Patxi Ruiz, a neighbour of the Txantrea and Basque political prisoner, said “Enough!”. It is enough, not only with a concrete attitude towards your person, but with all the measures that have been imposed in prisons during the COVID-19 crisis.

The hunger and thirst strike caused all the alarms. There was an increase in the contradiction between two strategies with different perspectives in order to resolve the issue of Basque political retaliation.

However, in our opinion, the fight launched by Patxi Ruiz has not been a problem. On the contrary, it has been a stimulus. We are convinced that, without self-initiative, the consequences of the state of alarm in prisons would not have an impact on the citizens. That and the next citizen's response are the main victories that can be attributed in political terms to Patxi López's initiative. It was a great news for us that the hunger strike was disconvened. But it is also important for us to tell Kapota that we are going to move forward. We collect the witness and we will work together and fight.

Once the most difficult moments have been overcome, we bet that the former Txantrea prisoners will continue with this dynamic. We will give continuity to the work in a positive way, based on experience and good relations accumulated in recent months.

On 22 May, we launched the first initiative. Some 300 former prisoners met unequally. The initiative consisted in contextualizing, at a specific moment, the dynamics initiated by Patxi Ruiz. That is why we take it for granted.

We have then pushed for a number of mobilising initiatives. Trying to interfere with the work of others, but accepting interference from others. “For the Basque Political Prisoners, Patxi!” has been the brand we have used, although we are not the only one that has characterized us.

And with Patxi's demands and those who wanted to join the fight, we launched a manifesto.

Today we want to make it clear that the content of that manifesto seemed important to us at the time; and today we believe it maintains the present. This is a manifesto of commitment to all Basque political prisoners and prisoners. A commitment to defend all their rights, to denounce the violation of rights and to demand repatriation. The manifesto needs commitments to address the issue of prisons with another perspective. We need your support and commitment, now more than ever (to subscribe (access URL 0))

As a former prisoner of the Txantrea, we are proud of the work that neighbors and neighbors have done. Our contribution to this dynamic has been nothing more than a follow-up to the work that has been done at the neighborhood level over the years. The case of our neighborhood is not the only one, we know. The neighborhood has been clear from the beginning that it was not going to get into sterile dynamics, that it was not going to have to choose which inmates in the neighborhood were going to work for.

Our war is with the state. With institutions, people and agents able to change the situation of Basque political prisoners, but who do not. They do not want to put an end to the devastating policy practised in both Spanish and French prisons.

The path taken so far has shown us the will to work from another perspective on the issue of the repressions and that of the Basque Country. Boosting activation, giving prominence to people and militancy. Tensioning the street in the discourse and in the form when necessary.

An example of this is the spontaneous reaction of Patxi Ruiz after abandoning the hunger strike. Many people who have joined the initiative have asked us: “And now what?” “How are we going to go?” At the time, we launched an initiative that required a concrete commitment to the situation of Patxi Ruiz. But that commitment went further, seeking to add assets in the work for all Basque political prisoners. And we have been able to see the existence of sectors to take the witness. That's why we keep going.

First, and this time as members of the popular movement of the neighborhood, we make a special appeal to participate in the different initiatives and mobilizations that will be organized in the Txantrea. We believe that these initiatives should serve to reaffirm the commitment of an entire neighbourhood to all Basque political prisoners. But also to support and strengthen a way of understanding and developing the dynamic for all Basque political prisoners.

In conclusion, let us say that we will use the summer to clarify what kind of follow-up we are going to give to the work we have put in place. This time yes, by widening the debate and participation to the fullest. To the dynamics that may be in favor of the return home of the Basque retaliation and retaliation, we want to add a new dynamic that has the people as the protagonist. Promoting social activation, confrontation with states and the denunciation of political leaders of the policy of “war hostages” that applies to Basque prisoners.

Listen to the calls!

For the Basque political prisoners, for Patxi!

*Oskar Bizkai, Josu Jiménez, Iker Esparza, Ander Maeztu, Arturo Fernández,

C.Barbarin, Dabid Soto, Felipe castell, Fidel Oses, Haizea Bakedano

Ibai Mateo, Iker Esparza, Iñaki Aristu, Iñaki Pidal, Izaskun Juarez,

Joseba Pabon, Josu Esparza, Karmele Fernández, Mikel Pardo, Mikel Zudaire

Oier Ardanaz, Oskar Sanz, Tomas Insausti, Ugaitz Astiz, Unai Redin