Sentancing begins in Basque 18/98 trial

international | crime and justice | other press Wednesday December 19, 2007 15:00 by funderland on crack - (extreme)...funderland on spliff (manageable)

46 of 52 of the individuals who have faced trial this last year for links to ETA have received sentances today totaling 527 years in prison. The trial saw leaders of groups engaged in media support & internalisation of support for the Basque armed struggle independence tradition sit together in the dock in a process described by some as a "macro-trial". In the statement read to the court at sentancing the presiding judge Angela Murillo commented ......"KAS and EKIN are "much more than satellite organizations"; KAS "was ETA's media organization" and "EKIN is not any other thing than KAS in an apparent legal disguise..."

from Basque TV news (english version)

....."A Spanish judge said on Wednesday KAS and EKIN are ETA's the heart of the armed Basque group ETA. Spain's National Court sentenced 46 people to jail terms totaling more than 500 years for links to ETA via a network of social and political groups. The sentence reading was interrupted when more than 20 of the accused, who were seated in a bulletproof chamber in the court, stood up with clenched fists and began singing a Basque independence song. After repeatedly ordering them to stay quiet, Judge Angela Murillo told police to remove them from court before continuing with the reading of the sentence. Murillo said the trial had shown that the youth social group EKIN, and its predecessor KAS, were an integral part of ETA. KAS and EKIN are "much more than satellite organizations"; KAS "was ETA's media organization" and "EKIN is not any other thing than KAS in an apparent legal disguise", the sentence said. The case stemmed from an eight-year inquiry by Baltasar Garzon, Spain's leading anti-terror investigator. Garzon alleged that ETA was not just made up of armed commandos but also had support through political, financial and media organizations. The defendants were accused of belonging to these groups, some of which have been outlawed. The organizations, such as banned youth groups called Ekin, Orain, Xaki and Fundación Joxemi Zumalabe engaged in activities ranging from fund-raising and helping ETA plan attacks to organizing street violence by ETA supporters, Garzon has charged......"

http://www.eitb24.com/new/en/B24_79941/politics/VERDICT...-are/

Forty-six of the 18/98 defendants to get 527 years in prison

Old news = Background (the decision was made last January but not formalised till today)

Forty-six Basque militants have been convicted of aiding the armed Basque group ETA through a network of social and political organizations. The 46 were among 56 people who went on trial in November 2005 and were out on bail after it ended in March of this year. The National Court decided (12/01/2007) to convict 46 of the defendants, although it would not formally read out the verdicts until some time after Dec. 10. (today is Dec 19) Due to the risk of them trying to flee Spain, the court ordered police to put them under detention before the convictions were announced, a court official said on ground rules barring publication of her name. According to the same sources, the defendants were being sentenced to 527 years and 6 months in prison

The case stemmed from an eight-year inquiry by Baltasar Garzon, Spain's leading anti-terror investigator. Garzon alleged that ETA was not just made up of armed commandos but also had support through political, financial and media organizations. The defendants were accused of belonging to these groups, some of which have been outlawed.

The organizations, such as banned youth groups called Ekin, Orain, Xaki and Fundación Joxemi Zumalabe engaged in activities ranging from fund-raising and helping ETA plan attacks to organizing street violence by ETA supporters, Garzon has charged. Fourteen of defendants convicted of being leaders of a terrorist group and will be sentenced to spend between 12 and 18 years in prison. Other 17 convicted of being members of a terrorist group and sentenced to spend between 11 and 18 years in prison. Thirteen convicted of collaboration with an armed band and sentenced to spend between 9 and 13 years in prison. The remaining two sentenced to 4 years in prison.