The National Court keeps the former head of ETA Iratxe Sorzabal in prison after being handed over by France

Supports the request of the Prosecutor's Office, the State Attorney's Office and the AVT

The National Court (AN) has agreed this Monday to extend the provisional prison of the former head of ETA Iratxe Sorzabal, who was handed over by France last Friday to serve in Spain the sentence of 24 and a half years in prison for her participation in the double attack perpetrated by the terrorist group on November 2, 1996 in Gijón against the Palace of Justice and a pharmacy that belonged to the husband of a former Secretary of State for Penitentiary Affairs.

In an order to which Europa Press has had access, the magistrates of the First Section of the Criminal Chamber explain that Sorzabal was placed at the disposal of the AN on February 14 for this reason, ordering her admission to prison, where She stayed until March 8 when she was transferred back to the French authorities.

Precisely this Monday, the Prosecutor's Office has asked the AN Criminal Chamber to order Sorzabal's provisional prison in a hearing that was held this morning to set the precautionary measures in order to regularize his personal situation after he was handed over by France in the last hours.

The former ETA leader was transferred from the French prison of Reau to the Madrid prison of Estremera, as announced by the association of relatives of ETA prisoners, Etxerat. Imprisoned since 2015, Sorzabal has been handed over to Spain after completing the sentence that had been imposed on her in France.

In their resolution, the magistrates point out that the defendant's defense has appealed the sentence, issued in February of this year. Thus, a hearing was called, which was held today and in which the Prosecutor's Office, the State Attorney's Office and the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) have asked to maintain this precautionary measure. Sorzabal, on the other hand, has unsuccessfully demanded to be released on bail.

The magistrates have decided to extend the maximum term of preventive detention of the former ETA leader up to the limit of half of the sentence imposed on her given "the seriousness of the crimes for which she has been convicted and the penalties imposed". In addition, they point out in the order that in this case the necessary requirements of legitimacy, proportionality and necessity are met to agree on this measure.

Therefore, the provisional prison term "will expire" within 12 years, on October 10, 2034, as stated in the order.

In February, the AN sentenced Sorzabal to 17 years in prison for a crime of terrorist acts of consummation for the attack directed against the building belonging to Justice, which was not yet in operation. And for the same reason, he added another seven and a half years for attacking the pharmacy, but to an attempted degree, since that explosion caused no damage.

Regarding the Palace of Justice, the terrorist group planted the bomb at the main door of the Court building, which was not in use, but was to be inaugurated in the near future. In addition to the damage caused, the explosion caused damage to buildings in the area and to vehicles parked nearby.