Thirty-eight years have passed since the flight of Usurbil from Xabier Miguel de Ezkerra, which will soon be 60 years old. Oxel Azkarate, for his part, left his people ten years ago. He was born in Arrasate/Mondragón in 1982. They're almost 30 years old. This is a sample of fugitives' characteristics. Both make a “normal” life. I mean, they're working. However, most members of the collective do not have this right. It is estimated that there are about 500 Basque political exiles in the world: “It’s impossible for us to quantify the amount, because it’s very hard to know how many people there are in weeds. Repression is terrible – it is –”, the interlocutors tell us.

A breath of solidarity in Biarritz

According to these escapes, the Group of Basque Political Fled (EIPK) carried out in the previous two years an intense work to organize the event The Stench of Solidarity: “If we did not act as we are at the moment, we did not see any solution. We've been running for 30 years. The fugitives should come out of the darkness. Our life is not what is done in the people, let alone. We have difficulty in making our reality visible, whether through the Internet or the media, we have a great need to socialize our situation. We have worked on it for the last two years.”

The conclusion is that the problem of fugitives cannot be solved without the intervention of fugitives. To do so, they have specified with whom and what the fugitives themselves have to talk about. Solidarity was a strong cry to socialise the roadmap, in a solution that has taken a giant step. The mayor of Biarritz, Didier Borotrak, assisted the local neighbours in carrying out the initiative. They were supported by various ideological and social areas: “Not only did we want to talk about our problem, but we explained to all the actors who are supporting us in the process the need to work a comprehensive process of the Basque question.” In their words, the fugitives have made the case come to light and have explained that the reality they live is the consequence of the conflict. The main factors of the integral process have been made known, showing the intention that the first and last fugitive should return home. The substance of the conflict and the forms of resolution are written in the roadmap. The principle and objective are summarised as follows: “The solution will be achieved through popular activation and agreements between the different social partners.”

No response

Both are of the opinion that some media made an overly rigid interpretation of the press conference that the fugitives gave last June: “That is, the fugitives roadmap is valid, but to find a comprehensive solution states must talk to ETA. We have given the governments of France and Spain a certain ‘capacity’ or ‘opportunity’ to block what we want to do. But they will not be confirmed. We want to do the process with Euskal Herria and for Euskal Herria, clearly”.

Enemies are said to be known along the way. Five months later, the collective has received a response: “Our proposals, solutions, are problems for them.” Proof of this is France’s response to the fugitive Jokin Aranalde. The judge has ordered his expulsion to Spain, to which lawyers have appealed, with a cassation call, before the court. The two fugitives say that their participation in the resolution of the conflict – for all refugees to return home – is vital; participating in their own people to carry out the comprehensive process. In this way, however, the persecution of the fugitives is constant, as every week the police arrest a fugitive. The EIPK does not want to enter into the dynamic of response to persecution with states. In this way, the process is developed according to the game and the rhythm of the states.

The EIPK roadmap is collected in the Herria Respiratory Project www.herriaduguarnas.org. They want to participate in the process that opened after the Declaration of Aiete: “We want to address the Basque issue from the perspective of transitional justice. The process is not starting from scratch.” We have been highlighted by three points in the roadmap: “1. We have to help the fugitives who have no judicial issue on the way back home. 2. The dossiers of those who have questions of justice, many based on torture, must be annulled. 3. The rest of the dossiers should begin to be analyzed in a transitional way”.

Priority was given to patients and older adults. They say that those who are deported around the world must be solved: “Deportation has created special situations. 30 years ago, a large number of fleets were arrested and transferred to other countries of the European Union. They have not received any legal judgment. Their situation is not defined, they are not currently judged. Being away from home for so many years is also a condemnation.” The torture used by the Spanish State is directly related to the situation of many members of the collective: “Many people have escaped for fear of their friends’ statements under torture. It is necessary to analyze the ‘space’ generated by the situation from the point of view of legality. Prescribed causes must be abandoned.”

They consider it necessary to abolish exceptional measures so that the solution can be lived and developed with dignity. After that, the fugitives are willing to make a story of what has happened in the past. The story is, in his own words, essential for the search for a social solution to the conflict.

Treaty of Schengen

In the EIPK roadmap, the issue of torture has its own mention. According to the text, both countries use the Schengen Pact (ECHR). The pact, based on international law, guarantees the Euroorder to be issued in Catalonia. On the other hand, Europeans assure him that the Turkish State does not have the human rights of citizens guaranteed. Turkey is not in Shengen, Spain is. International bodies have condemned Spain to Turkey for torture on other occasions. Turkey is not in the Treaty of Schengen, but it is in economic interests. Spain is protected in the Treaty of Schengen, because of the economic interests of Europeans. Thus, the fugitives say that it is vital that when the story is made it is shown that Spain does not comply with its own law: “Because in Spain he has been tortured.” They say that the actors supporting the EIPK project, including members of the French political parties who were in Biarritz, have realised the importance of denouncing cases of torture. In the North there is a characteristic that does not exist in the South, which is not common: “Here we have achieved something that has not been achieved in the South. Various political entities and personalities have shown their solidarity with the political process. These are sectors that do not agree with the Abertzale left in terms of strategy and objectives, which is why it is atypical. They have decided to take a stand in favour of the process and to participate actively in it. That difference is important,” says Miguel Ezkerra. “The agents offered us the roadmap and asked us what we have to do in particular: We – Azkarate tells us – need social activation at all social levels.”

They are aware that demand is very generic, but it is not easy to realize it. However, they have one clear thing: “We do not want to act in terms of resistance. We need the cooperation of the social partners. We have to make the way, we have told them that they are part of integrality.” Despite the blockages imposed by the states, the fugitives are very happy with the steps they have taken. Agents such as Bake Bidea or Lokarri have made recommendations to the EIPK: “Recommendations can be helpful if we join the people. For example, to make the story. We are prepared. But we do not want to see your request as a requirement. That is, forced. No. Our desire and necessity. We want to tell what has happened, what we have done and what we have done in this country. We have no fear,” says the arrasatearra.

The fugitives have come to a situation they could not avoid. But those who have been on the other side of the conflict also believe that they will be, say the two: “The story cannot be made if we are not on the other side. We have to build together the society that we want to build, there's no other way. If we go to the Purgatory, we all have to go.”

They consider that there are difficulties in accepting things that have happened in the past, but which are on both sides: “The Abertzale left as a whole has it interiorized, including ETA, and so do we. We are prepared to tell everything we have to say and to recognise that we could avoid many things. We have no problem. Another thing is not telling the whole truth in that story and then wanting to appear as if it were worth it. Some have added a religious touch to the subject of the story, they have turned the issue into a political issue. They want losers and victors. In that story, they won't find us. Don’t be fooled,” says the usurbildarra.

Ways to resolve the conflict

The process is blocked at the second point of the Aiete Declaration. The resolution of disputes between prisoners and exiles has paralysed the ongoing political process. The attitude of the Spanish and French states is clear: they have blocked the process of resolving the case. Several Spanish social and political sectors have considered the process as an initiative against it. However, for the fugitives, we must act patiently, we are in the first phase of the conflict resolution process. Gradually, Euskal Herria is expanding the idea that we will all win their rights when we win. They spoke to us with great vehemence and caution: “This people must think that the path that we have opened up the refugees will be developed according to the struggle of the people themselves. We have the people as a guarantee to carry out the respiratory process to the end, we have full confidence in the people. He will find the solution to carry out the process. States cannot be given the opportunity to block the process, let alone the peoples. If this people believes in their future, the process will take place in conjunction with the grass-roots initiative. For example, we call for the construction of popular walls so that prisoners and exiles get the support we need, we can take steps in the solution, enable the playing field for the solution.”

Delivery of ETA weapons

The flight routes are very varied, as people and as militants. These interlocutors have their views on the subject of disarmament for this reason: “There are too many morbs in the face of disarmament. On the part of the ordinary people of the people, as well as on the part of some agents. Moreover, some militants, perhaps, look at the issue in a dramatic way. According to Comrade Aitor Zubilhgh,‘the weapons that ETA collected from the people there is no problem in returning them to the people, so that the people can become a weapon’.

Despite this, both agree that disarmament is a technical issue: "It has a terrible political symbolism, because it is a political use of weapons. Weapons are nothing, they are manufactured and bought. The symbolism of arms is important because everyone wants to give it their political symbolism. ETA has stated that the disarmament phase of the armed band will not be implemented soon. The organization has shown good disposition, but adds that if states participate – with the international community – disarmament would be faster and more rational.” That is the most rational solution, but the states do not want to accept it. Because that solution is for the States the problem of tomorrow: "States prefer to leave the conflict to be resolved. Beware! If in disarmament we are waiting for bilaterality, the process rots,” we are told. In this sense, our interlocutors have coincided in the harmony between the interview with Arnaldo Otegi in the Avui newspaper and the ETA statement. In his words, as far as disarmament is concerned, the attitude of the Spanish State – and its supporters, including the PNV – is, on the one hand, poetic and, on the other, obstructive.

The latest ETA communiqué

After the summer it was announced that progress would be made in the process. It was eagerly awaited, inter alia, a new ETA communiqué and the Strasbourg court ruling on the Parot doctrine. They have spoken to us severely: “In the press, in general, we have seen tremendous frivolity, also on the part of some Basque agents. They easily fall under the pressure of the opponents of the process, be they Itsaso Atutxa or Jonan Fernández. The Verification Commission said in a statement that ‘we will wait until September if there is nothing we will go home’. It is past September. You have not said anything, so we have to think that the process is going on. We insist, what for us is the solution is a problem for States.”

Ray Kendall, a member of the Verification Commission (former British head of INTERPOL), said in Baiona: “Over the past 50 years, we have not seen such an attitude on the part of states in conflict resolution.” According to Miguel Ezkerra, the two States act according to their interests: “Disarmament, disarmament, disarmament, they say. In the last ETA communiqué, the path we have to follow in the future is perfectly explained in order to avoid the strategy of the states and activate the process. ETA insists that it is ready. When the three militants [Josu Urrutikoetxea, David Pla and Iratxe Sorzabal] were arrested in Oslo, they were opening their way to retaliation. Disarmament was being prepared technically with the Verification Team. Local governments were expelled and the process was paralyzed. ‘ETA does not give up its past’. For his part, Azkarate says: "Some have not received what was expected of ETA. ETA, for its part, takes a step further in its speech by saying that ‘we are prepared to recognize the grave consequences and profound wounds that the conflict has left in our country’. ETA is moving forward step by step and we are also ready to move forward.”