The basque Government wants to have the 216 ETA prisoners in the Basque country, or close to, to begin the process of reintegration. The secretary-general for Human Rights, Coexistence and Cooperation, Jonan Fernández, has explained Wednesday that the administration of Iñigo Urkullu will ask the new coalition Government a 180-degree change in prison policy. If until now the approach to prisons next was the result of the offender, individually, had taken some step to be separated from the armed violence and the terrorist organization of which it formed part, now wants the approach is a preliminary question and widespread.
“The concept should be that, to begin the process of reintegration, they must be close”, has insisted Fernandez after emphasizing that this is not supposed to be “a gift” to the prisoners, but to advance the “justice” for their families. In his judgment, it is necessary to rethink the model of reentry in order to go towards a model more open to contribute to the social reintegration of prisoners after their release.
Fernandez has explained this on Wednesday in the basque public television that the updated proposal to bring to the 216 prisoners of ETA focuses on the seven prisons near the Basque country: Zaballa (Alava), Basauri (Bizkaia), Martutene (Gipuzkoa), Pamplona, El Dueso (Cantabria), Logroño and Burgos. Fernandez did not explain, however, how to begin the reintegration of prisoners once approached, given that the progression is going to depend on the attitude that you take prisoner of tied individual in jail.
The words of Fernández occur just four days after that more than 65,000 people manifest in the streets of Bilbao in demand for the rapprochement of ETA prisoners. A march called by associations close to the nationalist left that is not counted with the official support of the PNV, PSE, or PP. However, except for the PP, the rest of the matches basques, including the socialists, believe that after the end of ETA’s armed violence and of their dissolution, as a terrorist organisation, the prison policy should give it a spin and to facilitate the approach of the prisoners to their places of origin.
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The plan that will be transferred to the Government of Pedro Sánchez does not form part of any of the agreements between the PNV and the PSOE to give the ‘ yes ‘ of the nationalists to Pedro Sanchez, and, according to explained sources of the presidency basque, it has not been moved before. “If this issue were not so politicized, it would be common sense, because it has more to do with the rights of prisoners,” say these sources. “It’s not about my freedom or much less, it only has to be brought in to the extent possible”, they explain.
The majority of the associations of victims have always manifested against this criterion and believe that the approach has to be a prize in the extent to which prisoners linked to the band to separate from the criminal activity that led them to prison. In particular the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT), has recalled on Wednesday that the Executive of Iñigo Urkullu had already pointed out in 2017 that ETA prisoners have a withdrawal maximum of 250 kilometres. Their spokesperson, Carmen Ladrón de Guevara has shown today against this measure. “You have to keep the dispersion as an element of reintegration of prisoners, since this type of approaches may not be widespread, but individual, and on the basis of a favorable prognosis for rehabilitation,” said the lawyer.
The spokesman of the PP in the basque Parliament, Carmelo Barrio, has also rejected the new proposal and has asked the president, Pedro Sánchez, who is acting with responsibility and do not “take offense” to the victims of terrorism. Ward has criticized that one of the first contacts that the regional Government is going to have with the center is to “intercede and ask for favours for Bildu and the collective of ETA prisoners”, despite the fact that “there have been section of the strategy of violence, have not renounced it, and have not worked with the Justice”.
The Ministry of the Interior announced the first week of December, the transfer to prisons close to their homes of three other prisoners of the band, which numbered 13 from Pedro Sanchez to take over the Presidency of the Government and announce a change of prison policy. The collective of ETA prisoners (EPPK its acronym in euskera) returned to criticize this past Saturday, in the context of the manifestation of Bilbao, the number of approaches made “is far from the expectations generated”.
