2007/I/10
IŅAKI DE JUANA ISSUES A CALL TO STRUGGLE FOR AMNESTY

Iņaki de Juana, on his 66th day on Hunger strike today, from the 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid, has issued a call to struggle for amnesty and recognition of the political conflict. Askatasuna published the letter Iņaki de Juana sent, which was to be read at the Amnesty Movement event at the Velodrome in Donostia last Saturday, which was banned by the Spanish National Court and attacked by the Basque regional Police. IŅAKI DE JUANA'S LETTER

Greetings to all at the Velodrome!

From this "12 de Octubre" hospital, I would like to send you a few lines of strength and optimism, for everyday struggle, until the Basque Country achieves its deserved aims as a nation and as a people.

As you all know, the situation of Basque political prisoners is not improving, on the contrary, we are the target of greater and crueler attacks. My situation is but another example.

All political prisoners suffer the same kind of arbitrariness, injustices and attack by an arrogant penitentiary administration and arrogant state powers; they are arrogant and authoritarian, they brag about their lack of positive movement, they have turned revenge into a form of political behaviour, they refuse to acknowledge what we are: political prisoners, and, especially, they refuse to acknowledge the reasons why we are in jail, namely, defending of our country, the Basque Country, from the historical aggressions it suffers.

Only a solution to the causes of the conflict can bring about the justice and the freedom we have fought for, for generations.

Amnesty, which is not a mere release of prisoners, but involves acknowledgement of the political conflict and a solution to the conflict, is the fundamental key to a lasting solution. Let us all fight for amnesty and for everything this concept involves with all our strength, with the same courage as we have done for decades. Then it will doubtless come.

Finally, I would like to send you all my strength and hope; to stand up to what may come, at this time when it is more important than ever to continue the struggle. I am also sending you the cry for freedom.

Long live a free Basque Country!
Long live a Socialist Basque Country!
Forward!



Iņaki de Juana Chaos
"12 de octubre" Hospital, Madrid