Elderly first ETA

Question

Elderly first ETA

Answer 1

The group of ETA prisoners give priority in their reintegration Individual requests to the administration of the selective approach of prisoners to Basque prisons and release, also selective, sick and older than 70 years, according to close sources to the nationalist left.

Following the decision of December 28 to take the prison law, and thus the rejection of violence and recognition of the damage caused, the group of ETA prisoners entered a new stage. Lawyers for the prisoners of the terrorist group, in addition to setting priorities, working in a detailed picture of the situation of each of the 524 ETA prisoners in Spanish jails to service your request individual meetings with rehabilitation treatment of the different prisons, which take time. "It's not running, because it is no longer giving political battles as in the past, but to offer legal arguments for ETA prisoners to improve their prison conditions with approaches, grade changes and releases," said the same sources.

After the arrest of the lawyer Arantza Zulueta and his team three weeks ago, control of the prisoners has gone directly to the nationalist left. This change is assuming, first, a delay of the execution of individual petitions of prisoners to benefit from reintegration measures until the new team take control of the situation. But, at the same time, this change will mean greater harmony among the group of prisoners and the new team, led by the nationalist left, as most of the group was at odds with long- radical positions Zulueta.

The new team will continue the work of the previous: the development of an accurate picture of the situation of each of ETA prisoners, their unspent convictions, checked with his prison record. This will be a long process.

Attorneys who have replaced Arantza Zulueta are aware that central government suffers heavy pressure from the anti- ETA prisoners eligible for prison benefits the law allows radical political sectors. Therefore, the lawyers of the prisoners have been established priorities that may be welcomed by the prison administration, as the selective approach the release of prisoners and also selective, seriously ill and older than 70 years.

According to point sources of the nationalist left, " it is not a massive ask prisoners approach as before for political reasons. Even a generic request for release of sick prisoners over 70 years. It's about doing the right thing legally. "

Individual files in hand, lawyers try to select those that can be legally assumable by the Administration. " We do not want the sick prisoner case of Josu Uribecheberria Bolinaga repeat, year and a half ago, which caused a conflicting lock release status of prisoners. We want the records to be made ​​legal and peacefully, " continues the source. Therefore, both attorneys will try to approach requests for release of prisoners as patients older than 70 years and are made according to their chances of success.

Class Counsel are a serious legal obstacle: the modification was done in 2003 of the Prisons Act, the specially hardened by the introduction of the figure of collaboration with justice and leftwing nationalism understood as " betrayal ". " A retrospective and inflexible interpretation of the amendment of the Prisons Act 2003, as supposed assimilate collaboration with justice betrayal, can be a big obstacle for prisoners can regrade," said the sources.

The group of prisoners are willing to take the rejection of violence, recognition of damage and economic commitments, as announced in its statement of December 28, but is not willing to what he considers a betrayal. " That would be the limit," said sources of the nationalist left. They hope that this position is assumed by the central government.

The Basque Government has already taken to the road to endorse Nanclares individualized reintegration of prisoners, which is a more flexible application of the Prisons Act, once recognized by the inmates the rejection of violence, damage and intent to repay economic harm. This issue will be on the table at the next meeting between the Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and the Basque President, Iñigo Urkullu.