The idea of this article emerged when on 24 November lehendakari Urkullu leaked that he would not be a candidate and, consequently, it was found that he would go after twelve years in office without significant gestures with the victims of the State.

However, in order not to be read in the electoral key, last Sunday I waited to close the long electoral cycle.

Before, on 31 October, he lost the last chance, as 66 State victims did not attend the institutional recognition act.

This absence occurred at the final stage of a legislature in which significant steps were taken in this area:

- Recognition of the Basque Government through the Valuation Commission of Law 12/2016, published in 2019, after a winding judicial trajectory.

- The end of negationism with torture.

This law and the work of the victims, together with institutions such as the Permanent Social Forum, enabled us to build a broad ethical and political consensus on the right of all victims, including those of the State, to the truth, to justice and to reparation. However, the lack of institutional action was creating a glass roof, because it was only a theoretical statement that ran the risk of losing content.

The entire appropriate ecosystem was being built with the help of various actors and factors. However, although the victims of the State and the Foundation Owes to the Truth requested it expressly and repeatedly, it decided not to turn.

Solving the suffering without socializing it, makes it invisible, does not exist and, therefore, the presence of lehendakari was valued.

The interventions of the counselor Nerea Melgosa at that time were very important: "We haven't always been willing to listen as a society. It took us too long to listen and act." The words were greatly appreciated by the attendees. All of this, together with the new attitude transmitted by the Vice-Ministry, which broke with previous conspiratorial visions.

He was convinced that a person as demanding as Mr Urkullu would not leave office without making a significant gesture of approaching the victims of the state for twelve years, as has often been approached by the victims of ETA.

This absence re-victimized the victims of the State. It deepened the asymmetric treatment that they suffer, and I'm sure it deepened into something that no one wanted: discrimination and cumulative unfair suffering.

The Presidency adhered to the controversial decision taken by the Presidency to postpone the event scheduled for 26 June (International Day of Victims of Torture) on the occasion of an unexpected call for general elections.

The spiderwebs of the past must be definitively removed, in order to think that the recognition of the victims of the state completes the story of a party linked to the political conflict. This is part of a political debate which, as we have seen in the last regional elections, is still open and is situated in light years of international parameters.

Assistance to all victims, regardless of their victims, should be a political and ethical issue, and the only reference should be human rights. That same day I heard in Kursaal a theory about his absence was that in that act a victim of the Ertzaintza was recognized and that was uncomfortable.

CREI has recognised 311 cases of people tortured by this police force. As the Commission progresses in the analysis of the dossiers submitted, new cases will be recognised. Not supporting these victims and not making any gestures to recognise the damage caused by the cruelty of the violence exercised by the officials of the Basque Government is to delay the inevitable, and does not contribute to overcoming the institutional mistrust of many State victims. It is one of the reasons that 710 people “alone” present their cases.

If someone believes that a democratic coexistence can be built by concealing some of the violence suffered, it makes a serious mistake or is being misadvised.

There is a particularly disappointing attitude. Everyone recognizes the contribution of five Luhuso Peace Craftsmen to the peace process. The French justice itself has recently decided a minimum sentence not to be complied with for Txetx Etxeberri and Beatriz Moller, characterized as “transitional justice”.

Although the absence of the Basque Government following the death of Mixel Berhokoiroin was revealed at the time, the silence of the Basque Government in this trial deepens the negative strategy of the role of civil society. Beatrice Molle and Txetx Etxeberri, as well as Mixel Berhokoirigoin, Mixel Bergougnan and Michel Tubiana should have institutional recognition.

Hot potatoes that are now passing to the one who will be president. I would like to believe that Mr Pradales and all the political players will be able to draw conclusions from the mistakes made in this area.

We are a society in transition. Even if we're not going to agree on why it happened, we have to be able to agree on a shared future, learning from everything that happened. From now on, the 13th legislature will open a new stage that will be nothing like that. Knowing how to take advantage is everyone's responsibility.

The main objective is to lay the foundations for a democratic coexistence that allows us to tackle inequalities, with a single instrument of dialogue and based on respect for all civil and political rights of all people.

Agus Hernan

Human Rights Activist