Our crime: Looking for peace
Imprisoned Basque leader Karlos Rodriguez writes
exclusively for An Phoblacht from his prison cell in
Basauri
In May 1995, when as Herri Batasuna's delegate at Sinn
Féin's Ard Fheis in Dublin, I began my speech by
referring to Irish and Basque political prisoners, I
couldn't imagine that today I myself would be a Basque
political prisoner. Nor could I imagine that today I
would be highlighting Herri Batasuna's situation, and
especially the situation of the 23 members of its
national execution, judged and imprisoned for divulging
a peace proposal.
Since the death of the dictator Franco, 22 years ago,
the successive Spanish government have maintained a
similar attitude towards what they consider the `Basque
Question'. Moderate, left-wing and right-wing
governments (UCD, PSOE and PP) have tackled this
`question' as an exclusively violent issue.
Consequently, they've tried to eliminate the
organisation ETA by political-military means. What they
call ETA's social roots have become their main targets.
In the Basque Country, as in Ireland, reality is
stubborn as is the strength of the independence
movement's struggle. It has been demonstrated for
decades how wrong are the Spanish and British
governments' approaches.
The systematic torture, the anti-independence
paramilitary groups, the inhuman conditions suffered by
hundreds of prisoners; thousands arrested, exiled and
deported; the dirty war; and the endless list of
repressive actions along with the most sophisticated
counter-insurgency techniques and the psychological war
launched by most of the mass media haven't been able to
subdue the fight of the independence movement.
Furthermore, in the past years, we have witnessed an
increase in the movement's activities and influence in
Basque society.
The new Spanish government is formed by a right-wing
party (PP), the inheritor of Franco's ways not just
from an ideological point of view. This government is
putting into practice a new strategy of harassment not
only on the independence movement but on all and
everyone of our identity's characteristics, beginning
with our language.
Within this government's strategy we include the
political criminalistion of Herri Batasuna's 23-member
National Executive, whose trial concluded with a
sentence of seven years imprisonment for each of us.
It is not by chance they've used the `excuse' of us
trying to divulge ETA's peace proposal in order to
condemn us. In this proposal ETA offered the Spanish
government the chance to open a process of
negotiations. The starting point of these negotiations
would be the government recognition of the existence of
the Basque nation and, consequently, its right to
self-determination and territorial unity. In exchange
ETA offers a ceasefire. Later on, an inclusive, full
and democratic debate would be launched in which the
Basque Nation on its own would decide its relationship
with the Spanish state and the political, social,
economic and cultural structures required.
Apart from the absolute judicial absurdity, what
worries us is the political statement behind it: the
denial of democracy and of the Basque citizenship's
capacity to decide its future. But, at the same time,
the Spanish authorities' reaction reinforces the
validity of our strategy for national construction,
social transformation and, above all, peace. Peace
understood not as an attempt to finish with the
different expressions of violence, but as a solution to
the serious political and social problems that generate
it.
The Irish Republican Movement has always been a
reference of mutual solidarity for us, as Alex Maskey's
presence and support during our trial demonstrated. The
promising and complex peace process that is taking
place in Ireland is another reference. Although when Mr
Blair is receiving the Sinn Féin leadership, Mr Aznar
(Spanish Prime Minister) sent us to prison for
divulging a democratic alternative. From Herri Batasuna
we will keep fighting for peace with open hands and a
firm commitment not to give up on our fair rights.
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