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juneThe situation of our family and friends in prison worsens day by day. This pro-gressive worsening is visible in the small things that make up the day-to-day, asalso in other more serious things. Reductions in visits; loss, again, of rights thatwere won through years of struggles and complaints; humiliating searches; ha-ving to go to exercise individually; obstructions to study; ... the news comes re-peatedly, both from Spanish and from French prisons. Their rights arecontinually violated in attempting to break them and to wear them down, bothphysically and psychologically.

Meanwhile, we continue to suffer the consequen-ces of the dispersal, with our rights having alsobeen ignored. On June 15th, our relatives andfriends and Basque political exiles held an event inMiarritz, emotive and inspiring, showing their com-mitment to conflict resolution. But the responsereceived has been clear. Within a few days therehave been three arrests, and we, their family,

friends, want to show our concern over this attitude. We cannot understand thatin what should be a new time, arrests and repressive attitude continue, an atti-tude which we strongly oppose. We want our family and friends back home!

The attacks on our family and friends are repeated both within prisons and out-side them, but also against us. The statements of the Director General of SpanishPrisons, on June 25, during his appearance at the Congress Commission of theInterior, was a direct attack on the relatives, blaming us for the accidents we ex-perience due to the dispersal.

600�Etxerat considers these statements to be very serious. But on the otherhand, also very clarifying and confirming that it is a measure of revenge desig-ned for us. He has shown very little respect and no sensitivity for the 16 whodied on the roads or for their relatives. Etxerat has for decades been denouncingthe dispersal and exposing its consequences on the relatives: deaths, huge fi-nancial costs, physical and economic costs (in some cases even loss of health ...).

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And Director of Jails Yuste considers us responsible.

�For our part, we must reply to Yuste that communication�with relatives andfriends in prison is a right, theirs and ours. A right for which the special prisonpolicy makes us pay dearly. Yet another of our rights violated.

�And we want to make clear that we will continue visiting our imprisoned re-latives. And what happens in that hard toll that they require us to pay, never canbe our responsibility.�It is the responsibility of those who designed this prison policy, of those whomaintain it and all of those who remain silent about it.

ETXEAN NAHI DITUGU!! (we want you home!).

Etxean nahi ditugu! (Euskera for “We want them home!”-- Translator)

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dispersal

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606 basque political prisoners dispersed over 79 prisons

438 Basque political prisoners dispersed over 45 prisons in the Spanish state

128 prisoners dispersed over 28 jails in the French state

17 prisoners in 3 jails in Euskal Herria

4 prisoners in an English jail

1 prisoner in the Six Counties (“Northern Ireland”)

1 prisoner Portugal

10 prisoners on parole, due to serious and incurable illness.

1 Basque prisoner confined to Autun area (French state)

93 prisonersin jails between 1.000 and 1.100 km from Euskal Herria

(the Basque Country)

147 prisoners in jails between 800 and 1.000 km from Euskal Herria

113 prisoners in jails between 600 and 800 km from Euskal Herria

133 prisoners in jails between 400 and 600 km from Euskal Herria

80 prisoners in jails at least 400 km from Euskal Herria

One prisoner confined 900 km from Euskal Herria

6 Basque prisoners in jails in other countries.

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right to health Among the seriously-ill prisoners, the situation of Tafalla Ventura merits specialconcern, because of the problems being created when receiving the necessarytreatment for his illness.�

In January of this year Ventura was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He hasbeen receiving radiotherapy sessions since May 22nd. The information we haveis that Ventura Tomé is forced to remain handcuffed while receiving treatment

during these sessions.�Another fact also requiring our complaint are the conditionsunder which the transfer is made to the hospital for radiothe-rapy sessions. The Guardia Civil attitude towards the�Basqueprisoner has provoked tension in a number of successive�jour-neys, which in no way promotes the health status of the patient.

Besides this unjustifiable and unsustainable situation, thismeans that he is not receiving treatment under the required

conditions, so that effectiveness is not being guaranteed. Like any person, hehas the right to be treated with dignity, which is what we require in the first ins-tance; to receive the prescribed treatment with dignity and so ensure its effec-tiveness.�We also believe it is imperative that he be transferred from Ventura toEuskal Herria, ensuring the minimum of assistance and support to facilitate hisrecovery and that dispersal and remoteness, coupled with the facts reported,are not being guaranteed.

Moreover, on June 15, at the hearing held in Miarritz by exiled and Basque po-litical exiles, a practical need was also declared: to create a list of seriously-illexiles in order to resolve their situation. Thus we, relatives of these exiles, con-sider it vital that this list be created,�which would reveal the situation they arefacing, and also to take the necessary steps to have their illnesses receive dueattention and treatment.

15

In the French state, life sentences are applied in a different way to other sta-tes; there is no maximum number of years laid down for the life sentencethere. In the French state a prisoner sentenced to life (“perpétuité”) can apply

for parole after completing 15 years (or by completing a “security pe-riod ” if that measure has been applied to him or her), but it is theSentences Judge which accedes to the application or who can re-fuse it – and may continue to refuse it. Some social prisoners haveserved as long as 50 years in French jails.

Currently four Basque political prisoners have been sentenced to lifein France: Jakes Esnal, Frederik Haranburu and Ion Kepa Parot, have already ser-ved 23 years in prison and it was recently also applied to Mikel Karrera. This me-asure has also been applied de facto to other Basque political prisoners by longsentences, as in the case of Saioa Sanchez, Lorentxa Beyrie or Didier Agerre.

In the Spanish state our families, our relatives, our friends were sentenced intheir time by the courts. This sentence had a date of commencement and anend date. Since 2006, Decree 197/2006 of the Supreme Court, which, despitebeing contrary to law applies retroactively, subjects Basque political prisonersto life imprisonment to which they were not sentenced and nor were we.

Ninety-two Basque prisoners have had their sentences ex-tended by up to 12 years in jail. Of these 92, seventy are stillin prison. Decree 197/2006 thus becomes another mecha-nism of a prison policy employed as an instrument of revengeto cause continuing suffering. This is within a prison policyrequiring, for their purposes, carte blanche for violation ofrights.

The systematic denial of parole is another of the special measures takenagainst Basque political prisoners, who are kept in prison until the completefulfillment of their sentences, systematically rejecting access to probation tothose who are eligible for it.

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special measures life sentences

paroles

70

147

Euskal Herria Zaballa Txus MartinZaballa Urtza AlkortaMartutene Gotzone L. de Luzuriaga

Spanish state Soto del Real Ibai PeñaPuerto II Arkaitz BellonCórdoba Sergio Polo (Isolation)

Puerto III Dani PastorNavalcarnero Asier RodriguezEstremera Sonia JacintoFoncalent Garikoitz MujikaZaballa Urtza AlkortaMartutene Gotzone L. de Luzuriaga

French state Joux la Ville Marian AramendiJoux la Ville Julen EizagirreTarascon Ibai SueskunBapaume Kristina GoirizelaiaBourg en Bresse Ander MujikaMuret Seysses Ohiana GarmendiaMuret Seysses Marina Bernadó (Preventative)Fresnes Ekhiñe Izagirre

Portugal Monsanto Andoni ZengotitabengoaThe Six Counties Belfast Fermin Vila

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in the prisons

Isolation or the separation of comrades, preventing all contact between them,is part of the specific regime applied to Basque political prisoners. Although inlegislation and in penitentiary norms isolation is a measure applied to very con-crete situations and for a restricted period, it is applied to our relatives as a wayof life, in addition to other sanctions which they may intend to use as punis-hment. The Basque political prisoners are dispersed in different jails and in ad-dition to different blocks. In other cases, without being in isolation as such,they are kept apart from their comrades, which we must assume creates a diffi-cult lonely situation.

violation of rights other incidents

Isolation

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Hunger strike

Getting tougher in the jails:

BORDEAUX-GRADIGNAN PRISON (French State): Basque political prisonersArkaitz Prisoners and Zuhaitz Errasti Agirregabiria, imprisoned in Bordeaux Gra-dignan, went on hunger strike on 13th June. Last week, a “special category” so-cial prisoner escaped from another prison in northern France and since thenother prisoners so categorized have been subjected to much harsher measures.This is the case for Arkaitz Agirregabiria, whose rights to visits have been espe-cially affected, having now to be made in poor hearing conditions, which addedto the constant noise and traffic of people, prevents satisfactory communica-tion.Moreover, Arkaitz was assaulted by social prisoners. Faced with this situa-tion, the Basque prisoner decided to start a hunger strike, which his comradeErrazti Zuhaitz joined in solidarity.

Ten days later, upon Itziar Moreno being transferred to another prison, they

FRESNES JAIL (French state): The arrival of a new Director to the jail has resul-ted in a worsening of the situation. In addition to losing all the rights whichthey had won solely through years of struggle, he has increased the tensionand the provocations are constant.

They have also fixed nets over the windows and have transferred them to cellsdirectly over the officers' offices. Ekhiñe Eizagirre now finds herself separatedfrom her comrades. As a protest against these measures, the Basque politicalprisoners decided to be sent to the punishment cells. On the 12th and 13th thewomen entered, to be returned to their cells on the 17th; on the 15th the men en-tered and were returned on the 18th. Their situation remains the same.

A LAMA: Permission to have “open” family visits together has been removedfrom prisoners without children. On May 21st, Kandido Sagarzazu, prisonerfrom Donosti, was in the gym of Murcia II prison, when he was approached bya prison guard in an unexplained aggressive manner, so that the Basque priso-ner chose to ignore him, whereupon the officer gave him a nasty blow to thearm, causing a considerable hematoma. Then Sagarzazu Kandido was taken toisolation cell for 48 hours. His comrade in the jail, Mikel Izpura, carried out arules infringement in order to be also moved to isolation and show solidaritywith Sagarzazu.

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ALGECIRAS: On the 12th June, taking advantage of Unai Fano being in the sho-wer, the officer in charge of security, along with three officers and the servicechief entered his cell in order to search it and left all his belongings turned up-side down. Upon his return, they allowed him to put on some clothes and tookhim out of the cell in order to continue the search. On the following day, thewhole search pattern was repeated. They justified this through claiming ha-ving received an order to that effect but did not show him it. I should be notedthat, in order to avoid abuses of any kind, the prisoner should be present in thecell when his belongings are being searched.

CORDOBA: After speaking to the Penal Inspecting Judge, the nightly distur-bances (carried out by officers), continuously waking up prisoners throughoutthe night, have ceased.

JAEN: Although all the Basque political prisoners are in groups of three in theblocks, a new order makes each enter the exercise yard on their own, contraryto what was done before. Two from each block will go out at different times inthe morning and one in the afternoon.

NAVALCARNERO: Since the third week in June, Asier Rodrigez is the only poli-tical prisoner here. Since then he fasts on Friday and during the rest of the weekrefuses prison food as a protest against being kept isolated from his comrades.

PUERTO III: During the first week of the month, aggressive searches, with dogs,were carried out on Basque political prisoners. On Wednesdays, as part of theircampaign to have their comrades removed from the isolation block, they makeformal complaints to the prison's management.

From now on, they will only be allowed to send out one parcel to their families,instead of the two permitted previously. 1

SORIA: Up until now, the prisoners could have their monthly “open” visits, theirfamily, parental and intimate visits all on the one day, each following the next.From July onwards, they will have to take these visits separately. They can havea number on the same day, as long as one be in the morning and the other inthe afternoon. This forces relatives and friends to make two trips, or at least tomany hours waiting in the jail.

VALLADOLID: When transferred to this prison, they tried to make Oier Urrutiashare a cell with a social prisoners. Upon his refusal, he was sent to solitaryconfinement.

cation

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There have been various transfers throughout the Spanish state this month forthe purpose of sitting examinations (for which prisoners have studied). Theseexaminations may only be held in specific jails, so that prisoners who have stu-died the relevant courses are subject to these transfers. As usual, on not a fewoccasions the examining staff attending these jails have encountered seriousdifficulties in entering to examine the Basque prisoners.

The Basque political prisoners continue with their campaign “Euskal PresoakEuskal Herrira” (Basque Prisoners to the Basque Country) and in each prisoncarry out different means of protest; in the majority they refuse prison food orcarry out fasts. On the second-to-last Friday of each month they also demandthe abolition of decree 197/2006.

Studies

EPPK (Basque Political Prisoners) actions in the jails

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relatives and friends

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New accident caused by dispersal policyOn Friday 7th June, at around 8.30pm (20.30hrs), relatives and friends ofBasque prisoners Zigor Blanco, Josu Amantes, Txutxo Gomez and TxominTroitiño were traveling towards the Curtis (A Coruña) and Bonxe (Lugo)jails. At Astorga, León area, a large dog crossed in front of them whichthey were unable to avoid and which they hit. Although the car was da-maged, none of the four passengers were injured. The Guardia Civil cameto the scene to record the accident but after asking for their papers, sear-ched the car and everything they had, which delayed them for about anhour. Afterwards, they were able to continue their journey and attend thevisits.

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Igor Igartua (Bilbo), 31st May, sentence completed.Arantza Garbaio (Bilbo), 14th June, sentence completed.Goio Jimenez (Tolosa), 4th June, on licence.Asier Coloma (Donostia), 13th June, sentence completed.

set free

jailedJon Lizarribar (Urnieta), arrested11th June in Urnieta. Encarcerated in Soto delReal.Ruben Gelbentzu (Andoain), arrested 11th June in Andoain. Encarcerated inSoto del Real.

transferredrelocations

Spanish state:Arkaitz Antza (Orereta), from Martutene to ValladolidOlga Sanz (Sopela), from Soto del Real to Aranjuez with her recently-born son.Leire Lopez (Beasain), from Soto del Real to Puerto IIIXabier Atristain (Donostia), from Valdemoro to MurciaKarlos Trenor (Donostia), from A Lama to Ocaña IILander Fernandez (Bilbo), from Soto del Real to EstremeraMikel Arretxe (Donostia), from Basauri to SoriaOier Lorente (Donostia), from Basauri to DueñasHarriet Agirre (Donostia), from Fresnes to Soto del Real. Extradited.Iñaki Iribarren (Iruñea), from France to Soto del Real.

French state:Oihana Mardaras (Bilbo), from Versailles to Fleury.Itziar Moreno (Bilbo), from Muret Seysses to Fresnes.

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Temporary relocations (for court appearances etc.)

SPANISH STATE:Jabier Salutregi (Bilbo), from Burgos to DueñasOier Urrutia (Gasteiz), from Burgos to ValladolidDani Pastor (Bilbo), from Aranjuez to Puerto IIIJosune Arriaga (Iruñea), from Topas to IruñeaJosune Arriaga (Iruñea), from Iruñea to ZabalaAitzol Maortua (Larrabetzu), from Huelva to Aranjuez

FRENCH STATE:Harriet Agirre (Donostia), from Moulins to Fresnes to be extraditaded.

Etxerat

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On the 2nd June, Lasterbidean. In this first year of the Lasterbidean solidarityrace nearly 1,200 people participated in two organised races. A few hundredmore arrived at Oiartzun to take part in the day of events organised by Etxerat,including the midday event protesting the dispersal and remembering the 16relatives and friends who have died on the roads. Thanks so much to all thosewho participated in this so-special day! Solidarity is without limits!

On the 5th June, Etxerat organised a press conference in Bilbao in order to pu-blicise the hunger strike being carried out by Itziar Moreno y Ruben Rivero inthe Muret Seysses jail, in France, and to protest the attitude of jail administra-tion towards Itziar Moreno and Oihana Garmendia.