70% of ETA members are already in Basque prisons: Zaballa concentrates more than half after the transfer of 'Txapote' and Parot

The AVT shows its concern about the commitment to the open regime of the Basque Government and recalls that the Prosecutor's Office has appealed 16 third degrees

MADRID, 26 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

70 percent of ETA prisoners are already in some of the three prisons in the Basque Country after the last transfer of 12 former members of the terrorist group became effective, including Francisco Javier García Gaztelu, alias 'Txapote', and Henri Parot , two of the terrorists with the bloodiest track record.

The two were transferred last Friday to Zaballa, in Álava, a prison that already houses 66 ETA prisoners serving sentences, according to data compiled by the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT). In other words, this penitentiary center concentrates more than half of those who have been transferred to Basque prisons by decision of the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions, dependent on the Ministry of the Interior.

Of the total of 123 prisoners in Basque prisons - some still not materialized after the Interior announcement -, in Martutene (Guipúzcoa) there are 28 ETA members serving sentences, the same figure as in Basauri (Vizcaya). In addition, in the case of a terrorist, the prison in which he is serving his sentence has not been specified.

The prisoners' support group, Etxerat, has reported this Monday on the transfer of the last 12 ETA prisoners, according to what was announced at the end of August by Penitentiary Institutions: eight ETA members have gone to Zaballa, three to Martutene --among them Jon Igor Solana Matarrán-- and one more --José Antonio Zurutuza Sarasola-- to Basauri.

During a working day in Zaballa for the first year of the transfer of prisons, the Minister of Equality, Justice and Social Policies of the Basque Government, Beatriz Artolazabal, insisted this Monday that "there is no collective treatment" for ETA prisoners and that none "will obtain any benefit or harm in Basque penitentiary centers, whether from ETA or not."

After rejecting that Basque prisons can be described as "hotels or resorts" for terrorists, Artolazabal has pointed out that 457 prisoner progressions have already been processed, of which 25 (5%) have been for prisoners linked to ETA. "Society as a whole will benefit from resocialization", he added before endorsing that they are "very close" to the 40% of semi-liberties that he proposed as a "goal".

The AVT has reacted to this first year of transfer of prisons, which will take place on October 1, showing its concern over the figure that indicates that 70 percent of ETA prisoners are in the Basque Country, an autonomous community that is betting for a penitentiary model that "strengthens the open regime".

Since February, with the first announcements of progressions, 24 third grades and a second grade have been agreed with the principle of flexibility in application of article 100.2. The AVT has recalled that more than half, 16, have been appealed by the National Court Prosecutor's Office and the first two judicial decisions that were issued have already been revoked.

The Prison Surveillance Judge of the National Court, José Luis de Castro, justified his decision to revoke the third degree for Gorka Martínez Ahedo and José Ignacio Bilbao Gaubeca in the lack of an express pardon for the victims of their crimes.

The judge recalled that the law requires as a "requirement" for the granting of the third degree that there be an "express request for forgiveness to the victims" of the crime, as well as the payment of civil liability.

The National Court previously revoked three other third degrees, in this case granted at the initiative of Penitentiary Institutions, a body dependent on the Ministry of the Interior: Unai Fano, Jon Crespo and Iñigo Gutiérrez. The Criminal Chamber of the National High Court also did not appreciate an "express regret" for the crimes committed and the damage caused.