2008/VII/11
Dublin Picket Denounces Torture and Ill-treatment of Basque Political Prisoners by Spanish and French states

The Dublin branch of the Irish Basque Committees organised jointly with the Irish
Republican organisation Éirigí to hold a picket in front of the General Post Office in Dublin's main street, O'Connell Street. The picket was attended by supporters of both
organisations as well as by supporters of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and of Republican Sinn Féin - altogether around 30. However, on a number of occasions the picketers were joined by visitors from the Basque country, swelling their numbers to around 60.


As well as visitors from the Basque country there were people from other countries passing by and many took the leaflets being handed out by the Dublin Committee, as did many Irish people. Some Spanish visitors were supportive (especially those from the North of Spain) but there were some hot words exchanged on occasion and two incidents of
leaflets being torn up by angry Spaniards.

On many occasions, however, young Spanish people were willing to discuss and where this happened, the picketers were willing to discuss with them, on the basis that where people are willing to discuss there is an opportunity to break through propaganda and prejudice.


"We held the picket to raise public awareness in Ireland of the conditions of Basque political prisoners in French and Spanish jails", said a spokesperson for the Dublin Irish Basque Committee. "We intend to organise others, too. This picket was organised by us along with Éirigí, whose help we're grateful for, as we are for the support of the
others who attended. We invite other organisations to step forward to help. We shouldn't let countries in the European Union get away with torturing prisoners -- we
should make our Government and our public representatives in the EU ask questions".

"There are over 700 Basque political prisoners, most of them dispersed far away from their homeland in Spanish or French territories," the DIBC spokesperson continued, "so that their families have to travel long distances to visit them. It's not uncommon that
when the visitors finally arrive, they find that the prisoner has just been moved to another prison, with no notice, even though the visit was scheduled weeks in advance.
Basque political prisoners are forbidden to speak their own language to their relatives;
beatings are becoming more common, including actual torture, as in the case of a young
man in Algericas prison in June who was tied to his bed naked for 48 hours.


"The time the prisoners must spend in jail has been lengthened too, unless they renounce their past activities and their allegiances. Many of the prisoners have been accused of supporting terrorism on the basis of their open political organising for self-determination for the Basque country, or for their activism in support of their
culture or their political or civil rights, or against the destruction of their environment."