Fifty nine people went on trial Monday 21st on charges of directing the logistical side of the armed Basque group ETA's, raising funds, forging passports and helping commandos communicate with one another.

The trial is the largest ever in terms of the number of defendants to go before the National Court, the Spanish tribunal that deals with affairs of state and terrorism cases. The case stems from an eight-year probe by Baltasar Garzon, Spain's leading anti-terror investigator.

The trial, which is to hear testimony from more than 300 people, is being held under tight security at a trade fair pavilion. The normal venue for such proceedings would be the National Court, but it is too small for a trial with so many defendants, lawyers and reporters. The site was used earlier this year for Europe's first major trial of suspected al-Qaida members.

Those on trial include alleged members of Basque youth groups and other organizations and businesses that portrayed themselves as coordinators of pro-independence activities but were banned by Garzon on grounds they were a front for fund-raising and other support for ETA. The trial is to last up to five months.

Source: EiTB24.com

The defence lawyers announced they would challenge the judges for acting in a "heavily biased way". The hearing has been adjourned until judges decide whether to allow it to proceed or not.

The hearing in the 18/98 case was adjourned after the defence lawyers challenged the judges for acting in a "heavily biased way".

The defence lawyer Jone Goirizelaia said the judge acted against his defendant by purposely requesting that a document be read out without any request to do so coming from either side.

The defence lawyers filed in the challenge and the trial was adjourned until judges decide whether to allow the challenge to proceed or not. If they do, the panel of judges will have to be changed.

The trial is expected to be resumed.

Source: Prisoner Solidarity

Judge forbids defendants to mention political nature of trial
At the beginning of day two of the mass-trial for Case 18/98, Txente Askasibar, who represents a business company accused of having 'terrorist links', was called back to the witness stand.

MADRID-. Defence lawyer Kepa Landa asked Askasibar to identify a series of documents presented by the police as 'incriminating evidence', which turned out to be just ordinary delivery notes, incoices and balance sheets pertaining to his company, Gadusmar.

Mr Landa objected that what were presented today as Boxes number 1, 2 and 3 of documents of the prosecution in the case against Mr Askasibar were not the same Boxes numbered 1, 2 and 3 for the same defendant that the police had brought along yesterday. He asked for this objection to be placed on the record.

Source: Gara

http://www.nlg.org/members/2003resolutions/Basque_Human_Rights_Abuses.pdf

One should always know who write what he is reading.

EiTB24 is a basque TV channel controled by the basque nationalist government.

Gara is a basque newspaper aligned with independentist thesis which supports ETA as a propaganda tool. It is the successor of Egin, a newspaper closed in response to evidences that showed how it financed ETA.

And a final note: These organizations are not being judged for a political crime (which can't be punished according our laws) but for finacing and giving logistic support to a terrorist organization.

Fernando

The fact that something is not written by a Spanish nationalist government does not necessarily mean it is wrong. I'm not saying it is objective.

I'm not updated on this. As far as I knew, they are on trial. Can we have those evidences you mean?
Thank you.

Your final note is redundant. That was clear enough. Those are the accusations to be proved.

Trial against left-wing organisations up despite incidents

The court chairwoman expelled all those processed in the summary because they applauded one of their companions. The trial has been resumed at 10:30 a.m.

The judge and court chairwoman, Angela Murillo, expelled the 56 prosecuted in the summary 18/98 after they applauded one of the processed as he was to leave the stand after Murillo finished his interrogation abruptly.

When the trial was resumed almost one hour later, Murillo threatened to charge those processed with disturbances if they ever again applaud or whistle.

The processed was narrating his contact with ETA within the project to define the Basque Statute in 1977 together with other several Basque parties. Then, the chairwoman interrupted him saying "We're interested in your narration linked to the crimes you’re charged with, but don't tell us about your life."

"I want to explain my links with ETA," he answered, although the magistrate insisted his statement be over.

As he stood up from the stand the rest of the processed and others present in court started to applaud. Then Murillo cancelled the session and expelled everyone from court "until I call you again."

Source: EiTB24.com

Javier Ortiz writes in 'El Mundo' newspaper (in Spanish):
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=23258
'El Mundo' is NOT a Basque nationalist controlled source. Javier Ortiz is an independent writer (recommended).
http://www.javierortiz.net/

Further background:
http://ehwatch.org/index_eng.htm

I'm just giving background information on the sources you are posting, if you don't mind...

www.rebelion.org is a comunist blog (visit the site and read).

Javier Ortiz is a basque journalist of nationalist and socialist tendencies who, for example, states that the existence of the main opposition party (PP) goes against our constitution, who speaks against market freedom and states that the US Army and Government are war criminals.

ehwatch.org is owned by Julen Arzuaga Gumuzio, who is linked with Gestoras Pro Amnistía, one of the organizations outlawed for giving economic and financial support to ETA (read this article ). This page states that some basque independentist political parties were outlawed for its ideas: Herri Batasuna, Euskal Herritarrok, Batasuna and Aukera Guztiak, which were all the same party (formed by the same members) under different names. This is the party that finances the assassinations, extortions, kidnapping and tortures of ETA.

It happens, also, that the advocates of these people who are being courted, are former ETA members now in freedom, and are the same advocates who defend ETA terrorists when they are courted.

I don't know how are the trials in Ireland, but here the only one who speaks or decide who shall speak in turn is the judge. Those who are prosecuted are not allowed to say nothing during the trial unless asked to. They can speak via their advocates and tell their version to police before the trial.

ETA tell all their members to hinder in every possible way their trials, which explicitly includes to denounce tortures, make political statements, ask for a judge change, ask for translators,...

Fernando

Being in a communist blog, at the end of the day, or having nationalist and socialist tendencies (such a crime!) doesn't make any points or any information any less valid. I don't think you are afraid to debate any points that are opposite to yours.
Having fascist tendencies is not a crime either, although it's not a democratic ideology.

By the way, Mr. Ortiz is by no means a nationalist in this day, and what he has stated in his article on Nov. 17th is that PP's internal structure is not democratic and therefore anticonstitutional (with reasoned arguments, as usual).
As for war criminals, Mr. Bush, by his own admission, is responsible for the death of at least 30,000 civilians (don't mind the tortures). That's more than any other kind of terrorism has achieved (if we admit that iraqui civilians are worth as American, Irish or Spanish ones).

I'm obviously not certain at all about this trial and I won't, even if they're found guilty by this Court, which are having the same prejudiced attitude I'm reading here. They seem to be precondemned beforehand.

Sorry I'm not able to read your article. I've no subscription to 'El Mundo'.

I'm not judging any ideology, I just gave backgrounds on the articles you posted.

But you are prejudicing that the court wouldn't be fair. In this kind of courts against ETA's environment usually more than half of those prosecuted are freed due to lack of proofs (you can make a quick search in Google and you will easily find other processess).

It would be wiser to see how the judge is being carried and which are the reasons for which they are condemned (if any), and then criticize for whatever intentional or uninententional errors committed by the judges, don't you think?

Fernando

You haven't given me background information of one of my sources:
http://www.nlg.org/
Are they controlled by PNV?
Are they mad anarchists?
Are they the intellectual authors of the Estatut?

"The Spanish governments practice of five-day period of incommunicado
detention has been condemned by such groups as Amnesty International and United
Nations Committee Against Torture for creating conditions that permit the use of torture
while depriving detainees the right to access to a solicitor and doctor of their choice;"
Amnesty International and United
Nations... doesn't ring any bells about communism.

"The Spanish governments policy of detention of prisoners for as long as four
years without trial, often in isolation, is contrary to the right of the accused to trial within
a reasonable period of time;"
"The Spanish government has forcibly closed the newspapers Egin, Egunkaria,
and Berria, and the radio station, Egin Irratia, as well as arrested their editorial and
reporting staff without a trial on the criminal charges in over five years in one case;"
"Spain has banned the political party Batasuna and barred its leadership from
participation in other political groups again without a trial on the criminal charges in a
reasonable time;"
That says enough.