ETA

'Euskadi Ta Askatasuna' or 'ETA' (Basque for "'Basque Homeland and Freedom'"; IPA pronunciation: [) is an armed Basque nationalist organisation.
ETA was founded in 1959 and evolved from a group advocating traditional cultural ways to an armed group demanding Basque independence. Its ideology is Marxist-Leninist.^[1][2]
The aspiration of ETA, which was outlined in 1995 in their ''Democratic Alternative'' publication, is to force the governments of Spain and France to agree on the following:^[3][4]

★ Recognition of the right to "self-determination and territoriality" for Euskal Herria.

★ That the Basque citizenry are the "unique subject" ("subject" in the sense of "one who acts") to make decisions about the future of the Basque Country.

★ Amnesty for all militants, whether prisoners or self-imposed exiles

★ Respect for what ETA defines as "the results of the democratic process in the Basque Country".

★ "Total ceasefire" once these points are guaranteed through a political agreement.
All formulations of ETA's goals have centered on sovereignty and self-determination for Euskal Herria (Basque Country and Navarra). ETA's motto in Basque-Euskera is "aizkora bezain zorrotza eta sugea bezain zuhurra" which translates in English as "sharp like an axe and quiet like a snake".
ETA has killed hundreds of people, including civilians and children, and kidnapped dozens in its actions against the Spanish state.^[5] More than 500 ETA militants are held in prison in Spain, France and other countries.
ETA is proscribed as terrorist by the Spanish authorities, the European Union,^[6] the United States, and the United Nations.
The organization has adopted from time to time other secondary tactical causes such as fighting against:

★ Alleged heroin traffickers and 'black foot' punk migrants, as corruptors of Basque youth and police collaborators, a fix for a tip. ETA members are well known for being tea-total, always on guard and prepared for action .

★ The nuclear power plant facilities at Lemoiz (Bizkaia). ETA opposed its construction. Four workers were killed by the organization. Following a peaceful and co-ordinated campaign of switching electrical appliances on and off across Bizkaia, thus overloading and tripping all the substations and connections, causing wide spread black outs, and a huge effort to reset those, the reactor core which was actually delivered to the site was taken away. The site remains deserted. The objection to the power plant was its implicit reliance on the Spanish Government for support and maintenance for thousands of years to come..

★ A proposed highway which was to run through the Leizaran Valley.

Contents

Basque Nationalist context

Government response

International response

Structure

Political support

Social support

Opinion polls

History

During Franco's dictatorship

During the transition

Under democracy

Targets, tactics and attacks

Targets

Tactics

Attacks

ETA's most recent declaration of a "permanent ceasefire"

Reactions to the "ceasefire"

End of "ceasefire"

Other armed movements

Other militant organizations that operated in the southern Basque Country

International links

Documentary films

Other films

External links

References

Basque Nationalist context

ETA is considered to form part of what is informally known as the Basque National Liberation Movement. This loose term refers to a range of political organizations that are ideologically akin, comprising several distinct organizations that promote a type of leftist Basque nationalism that is often referred to by the Basque-language term ''Ezker Abertzalea'' (Nationalist Left). Other groups typically considered to belong to this independentist movement are: the political party Batasuna, the nationalist youth organization Segi, the labour union Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak (LAB), and Askatasuna among others. There are often strong interconnections between these groups (double or even triple membership is common according to the Spanish Authorities).
There are Basque nationalist parties with similar goals as those of ETA (namely, independence) but who openly reject their violent means. They are: EAJ-PNV, Eusko Alkartasuna, Aralar and, in the Northern Basque Country, Abertzaleen Batasuna. In addition a number of left-wing parties, such as Ezker Batua, Batzarre and some sectors of the EAJ-PNV party, also support self-determination but are not in favour of independence.

Government response

Members of ETA have often taken refuge in the northern Basque Country, which is under French jurisdiction. ETA leaders normally choose to live in the French state for security reasons, as police pressure is usually lower on the French side of the border. This used to be tolerated by the French government, especially during the Franco dictatorship. Many ETA members and sympathisers were executed during the Franco era, often in Donostia (San Sebastian) by firing squad within clear earshot of the beautiful beach. Donostia was Franco's favorite holiday resort, Franco can be seen in official portraits wearing a red Basque Beret (Txapela) with the utmost cynicism. During the post-Franco 1970s and the 1980s, ETA members and its suspected supporters were the target of right-wing violence and, especially, violence by government agents such as GAL, whose actions have been considered a case of "state terrorism"[2]. Effectively, ETA members in France were informally treated as political asylees.
The GAL was dissolved in 1987, four years after its foundation. The airing of the state-sponsored "dirty war" scheme and the imprisonment of officials responsible for GAL in the early 1990s led to a political scandal in Spain. These events marked the end of the armed "counter-terrorist" period in Spain (although some minor attacks were carried out during the early 1990s under the name of GANE and other acronyms). With the new situation, the French government considered that detainees' rights were being adequately defended in Spain. France changed its position in the matter and initiated a period of active cooperation with the Spanish government against ETA, including fast-track transfers of detainees to Spanish tribunals that are regarded by most states as fully compliant with European Union legislation in human rights and the legal representation of detainees. This cooperation is still active.
In response to this new situation, ETA carried out attacks against French policemen and made threats to some French judges and prosecutors. This implied a drastic change from the organization's previously low-profile activity in the northern Basque Country, from where ETA had been discreetly managing their activities in the south.
ETA members and supporters continue to allege frequent torture at the hands of the Guardia Civil. While these claims are hard to verify, some convictions are based on confessions obtained while prisoners are held ''incommunicado'' and without access to a lawyer, for days on end. Often this is done without a formal arrest. These confessions are routinely repudiated by the defendants during trials as having been extracted under torture. There have been some successful prosecutions of proven tortures during the "dirty war" period of the mid-1980s, although the penalties have been considered by Amnesty International as unjustifiably light and lenient with co-conspirators and enablers.^[7][8]
ETA considers its prisoners political prisoners. Until 2003,^[9] ETA consequently forbade them to ask penal authorities for progression to ''tercer grado'' (a form of open prison that allows single-day or weekend furloughs) or parole. Before that date, those who did so were expelled from the group.
A more recent tactic of the Spanish Government's campaign against ETA has been to target its social support network. After the ''Ley de Partidos Políticos'' was passed (a law barring political parties which may support political violence, not condemn terrorist actions, or be involved with terrorist groups), this has taken the form of banning Herri Batasuna and its successor parties unless they condemn explicitly political violence and, at times, imprisoning or processing some of its leaders who have been indicted for cooperation with ETA. Judge Baltasar Garzón has initiated a judicial procedure 18/98, initiated by aiming to expand the scope of what is legally regarded as membership of or association with ETA. [3] [4]
This procedure started in 1998 with the preventive closure of the newspaper ''Egin'' (and its associated radio-station ''Egin Irratia''), accused of being linked to ETA, and imprisoning the editor of its "investigative unit", Pepe Rei, under similar accusations. The process is still in wait of a resolution [5].
Judicial procedure 18/98 has many ramifications, including the following:

★ A trial against a little-known organization called ''Xaki'', acquitted in 2001 [6].

★ A trial against the youths' movement ''Jarrai''-''Haika''-''Segi'', accused of contributing to street violence in an organized form and in connivence with ETA [7] [8]

★ Another trial against Pepe Rei and his new investigation magazine ''Ardi Beltza'' (''Black Sheep''). The magazine was also closed down. [9]

★ A trial against the political organization ''Ekin'' (''Action''), accused of promoting civil disobedience. [10]

★ A trial against the organization ''Joxemi Zumalabe Fundazioa'', wihch was once again accused of promoting civil disobedience [11]

★ A trial against the prisoner support movement ''Amnistiaren Aldeko Komiteak'' [12]

★ A trial against Batasuna and the '' in the Spanish-language Wikipedia.

★ Enric Martinez-Herrera, , originally published in the ''International Journal on Multicultural Studies'', Vol. 4, No. 1, 2002.
;Specific
1. http://www.goizargi.com/2003/queeselmlnv4.htm"What is the MNLV (4)"
2. http://www.goizargi.com/2003/queeselmlnv3.htm "What is the MNLV (3)"
3. Democratic Alternative
4. EUSKAL HERRIARENTZAKO ALTERNATIBA DEMOKRATIKOA (Berria, original Basque text)
5. 850 muertos en 38 años de guerra de ETA contra el Estado español [1]
6. , 29 May 2006
7. October 2002 AI Index: EUR 41/12/2002: SPAIN: A briefing for the United Nations Committee against Torture: ''Although convictions of torturers occur, these are rare. […] examining judges and prosecutors may not always be displaying due diligence […] trials involving torture complaints are often delayed for long periods. Where torture has been found to have occurred and torturers are convicted, awards of compensation by courts to torture victims are usually low and may take between seven and 19 years to be decided.''
8. AI Index: EUR 41/014/2002: 1 November 2002: SPAIN: A Briefing for the UN Committee against Torture: Update: ''The Committee also expressed concern about: the length of judicial investigations into torture complaints, which could give rise to the granting of pardons to convicted torturers, or the failure to impose appropriate sentences, owing to the period of time that had elapsed since the crime was committed;''
9. ''ETA pide el tercer grado para sus presos'' Libertad Digital, 5 October 2003, quoted in (page 9), a PDF in the ¡Basta Ya! site.
10. Manfredi Sánchez, J. L. "LAS POLÍTICAS DE COMUNICACIÓN Y EL TERRORISMO", Universidad de Sevilla
11. ''New York Times'', p. A8, November 29, 1999.
12. Party Law in Spanish
13. Gabinete de Prospección Sociológica (Gobierno Vasco): list of sociological studies 2006
14. Gara:''Más del 85% apuesta por el derecho a decidir y por el diálogo sobre el marco''
15. Deia: ''Ocho de cada diez vascos confían en el proceso de paz pese a su estancamiento''
16. Reporters Without Borders points out problems with free press in Spain due to ETA's threats and violence, 2006
17. 'Eta cell' was planning attacks, BBC News / Europe, 17 February 2005.
18. ETA cease-fire, ''eitb24'', 23 March 2006.
19. ETA declara un alto el fuego permanente para impulsar un proceso democrático ("ETA declares a permanent ceasefire to give impetus to a democratic process"), ''Gara'', 3 March 2006 (article in Spanish, text of announcement in Basque, Spanish and French.
20. Daniel Woolls, Eta to 'keep taking up arms' in secession war, ''The Independent'', 25 September 2006.
21. ETA and Spanish Government to initiate formal talks in a month, ''eitb24'', 17 September 2006.
22. Basque militants refuse to disarm, BBC News, 24 September 2006.
23. Spanish PM stresses Basque peace process still on track, ''eitb24'', 27 September 2006.
24. La Policía sospecha que fue ETA quien robó anteayer 350 pistolas en Nimes ("The police suspect that it was ETA who stole 350 guns yesterday in Nîmes"), ''Gara'', 25 October 2006
25. ETA constata la crisis del proceso y anuncia «un nuevo esfuerzo» ("ETA confirms the crisis of the process and announces 'a new effort'", ''Gara'', 4 November 2006
26. ''Batasuna afirma que "el proceso es inviable en estas condiciones"'' (Gara daily)
27. ''ETA comunica que "el alto el fuego sigue vigente" pero que responderá a "agresiones"'' 20 Minutos, Miércoles, 09.01.2007 - 20:23h''
28. ''Políticos ante el alto el fuego de ETA: De la esperanza al desencuentro'' (El Mundo, martes 05/06/2007 08:29)
29. Colombia: Sospechan relación de ETA con las FARC General Commander Fernando Tapias on August 2001.
30. ''Conferencia de Prensa ofrecida por Felipe Pérez Roque, Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba. Centro de Convenciones “Atlapa” de la Ciudad de Panamá''. 7 November 2000.
31. Country Reports on Terrorism: Released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism (April 28, 2006): ''The Government of Cuba maintains close relationships with other state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran and North Korea, and has provided safe haven to members of'' ETA'', FARC, and the ELN.'' There is no information concerning activities of these or other organizations on Cuban territory. Press reports indicate that fugitives from US justice and ETA members are living legally in Cuba, just like fugitives from Cuban justice live legally in the US. The United States says it is not aware of specific terrorist enclaves in the country.