State of exception in the Basque Country

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Wednesday February 13, 2008 11:25 by Irish Basque Committees irishbasques at hotmail dot com

Two political parties banned and 14 prominent members of Batasuna arrested.

After the arrest and imprisonment of Batasuna spokespersons Pernando Barrena and Patxi Urrutia last week threats became reality and the two remaining legal Basque left pro-independence parties ANV and EHAK were banned by the Spanish government.

Few days after 14 welknown members of Batasuna were arrested. They have been accused of being part of a new Batasuna's national commitee after the last one was imprisoned last October.

In the meantime a national demonstration called to denounce this state of exception last Sunday in Bilbao was banned and attacked by the Basque-Spanish police.

A general strike has been called for the 14th of February.

The Irish Basque Committees have called picket lines on the 23rd of February:

Derry 2pm Free Derry corner
Belfast 2pm Cultúrlann
Dublin 12pm GPO
Cork 2pm Daunt's Square

You can read more about the last week's news from the Basque struggle for self-determination at: