Basque Government approves six third degrees to ETA prisoners and already adds 23 semi-freedom concessions

Among them is Lierni Armendaritz, convicted of the murder of former minister Ernest Lluch

BILBAO, 17 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Basque Government has approved the authorization of the progression to the third prison degree for six ETA prisoners in the last month and has already added 23 semi-freedom concessions to inmates of the terrorist organization since it took office, on October 1 of last year, the jurisdiction of prisons, as reported to Europa Press by legal sources.

At the beginning of this month it was learned that the regional government had granted five third degrees to prisoners Zigor Orbe, Santiago Vicente, Aitor Herrera, Igor Martínez de Osaba and Lierni Armendaritz. The latter was sentenced, among other crimes, for the murder of the former PSC minister and deputy, Ernest Lluch, when he was part of the 'Barcelona command'.

Armendaritz also has to his credit other sentences of 34 years in prison for the crime of the PP councilor in Sant Adrià de Besòs José Luis Ruiz Casado; 47 years old as responsible for the murder of the member of the Barcelona Urban Guard Miguel Gervilla, and 47 years old for the murder of the PP councilor of Viladecavalls Francisco Cano.

Subsequently, the Basque Government has also approved granting the regime of semi-liberty to Juan Carlos Subijana, convicted in 2010 by the National High Court as a collaborator in the attack that ended the life of the prison official Máximo Casado Carrera on October 22, 2000.

Before these six degree progression concessions, the regional Executive also authorized last July those of the inmates Unai López Ocáriz and Javier Atristrain Gorosabel, as collected by the AVT in its Penitentiary Policy Observatory.

With these, there are already 23 third degrees to which the Basque Government has given the green light with the authorization of the prison treatment boards, since on October 1, 2021 it assumed responsibility for the management of the prisons of Euskadi. The grade progressions have been made in seven batches.

The Basque Executive and the treatment boards take into account, when approving the grade progressions, that the prisoners have disassociated themselves from the gang, have rejected the violence, recognized the pain caused, accepted the prison legality and paid the responsibility civil.

The Prosecutor's Office subsequently proceeded to analyze the cases and, in fact, resorted to that of the historic ETA leader José María Arregui Erostarbe, alias 'Fiti', endorsed in February by the Basque Government.