Basque solidarity protest in Dublin

national | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Wednesday February 15, 2006 13:14 by Irish Basque Committees irishbasques at hotmail dot com

Stop show trials!

18th February, saturday, 2006
Worldwide day of protest against the 18/98
political show trial in Madrid

1pm @ Spanish Embassy, 17A, Merlyn Park, Ballsbridge, D4, Dublin

For civil and political rights!!!

Stop all the trials!!!

In 1998, a series of court proceedings began, involving social, cultural and political organisations, media, as well as some 250 Basque men and women. These cases became known as 18/98, although afterwards, several more cases were opened along the same lines. The circumstances under which these proceedings were carried out reveal a strategic political move by the Spanish government, the final objective of which is to outlaw a broad social and political section of Basque society, violating civil and political rights -freedom of speech, freedom to meet, ideological freedom and the right to dissidence- of individuals and groups, that defend the idea that Basque Country has the right to decide for itself; i.e. people and groups seeking legitimate aims with legitimate means.

Therefore, Macro-case 18/98 cannot be contemplated with indifference.
We could find 98 reasons as to why we are against this trial. Here we list at least 18 of them:

A) The judicial process
1. Lacks the minimum legal requirements of a serious case: it is arbitrary.
2. It is political.
3. It is based upon a predetermined conviction, deliberately ignoring testimonies of torture and ill-treatment of suspects.
4. It proves the need to revise the anti-terrorist legislation and eliminate the Audiencia Nacional (National Court), an exception court.
B) The defendants
5. It violates the human, civil and political rights of individual persons and organisations.
6. We wish to defend these people’s dignity and their right to develop their individual and collective projects.
7. We cannot accept a broad interpretation of the concept of terrorism as a basis for unjust and indiscriminate repression.
8. We reject the use of the proceedings as a form punishment in themselves: preventive custody in prison (remand), personal and economic costs and added difficulties in terms of families and the workplace.
C) The Basque Country
9. We proclaim the legitimacy of building a better Basque Country, free from interference.
10. Rights and liberties are not divisible. By defending these wrongly accused people, we are defending ourselves.
11. We desire a responsible and committed society.
12. The struggle for civil and political rights is universal because persecution of political dissidence is also global (“antiterrorist blacklists”, European arrest warrant…)
13. These trials damage the opportunity for a peace process in the Basque country
D) 18/98+ Working Group
14. The trials arise within an antidemocratic framework that allows criminalisation of legitimate activities
15. We wish to sound the alarm about the injustice of Justice and the fragility of our civil and political rights.
16. We wish to obtain wide public support that has an impact in the media
17. We wish to Provide a space for the peaceful and democratic recognition of all rights of every person. We are determined to demand and this and offer as much.
18. What is your reason? People with different outlooks share the vision of a Basque Country that is respectful of its diversity and social richness and which should be able to build itself in freedom and respect for the rights of all. Thus, we wish to express our rejection of these trials and our solidarity with the people put on trial.

More information on the trial available at:

www.berria.info
www.gara.net
www.18-98plus.org
www.irishbasquecommittees.blogspot.com

PLEASE HELP US SPREADING THE WORD BY FORWARDING THIS EMAIL TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS AND BY SENDING SMS TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS.

Go raibh maith agat. Ádh mór.

IRISH BASQUE COMMITTEES

www.irishbasquecommittees.blogspot.com
irishbasques@hotmail.com