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Spanish Supreme Court outlaws Basque Nationalist Action
16/09/2008
Communist Party of the Basque Homelands (EHAK) likely to suffer the same fate on Wednesday · Supreme Court regards the party as ‘succeeding to or continuing’ the work of Batasuna and ETA · Party spokesman Arantza Urkaregi denounces the verdict as “a political decision” that “had already been made” · Basque Nationalist Action (EAE) and the EHAK had their activities suspended back in February.
For the second time in history, the Spanish courts have outlawed a Basque separatist party. Basque Nationalist Action, founded in 1930, is one of the Basque Country's longest standing parties, and its performance in the 2007 municipal elections made it one of the most successful parties ever on the Basque nationalist left. But the Supreme Court of Spain, responding to calls from the tax office and the Spanish state to ban the party, believes there is clear evidence linking the party to the armed organization ETA and the illegal party Batasuna.
A spokesman for the newly outlawed party, Arantza Urkaregi, claimed the decision was "political" and "had already been made", and said the verdict represented yet another "sign of the state of exception" in Spain. There are currently approximately forty EAE mayors in the autonomous communities of the Basque Country and Navarre, and over 400 councillors in the region.
The Basque Government has also criticized the Supreme Court's decision, claiming that the Law of Political Parties - which regulates the prohibition of parties - "does not bring us any closer to political agreements and an end to violence". The Spanish Government, on the other hand, believes the decision marks "progress in the struggle to isolate those responsible for violence and their supporters".
The same fate awaits EHAK
On Wednesday the Supreme Court will begin to study the case against the Communist Party of the Basque Homelands, the other Basque nationalist party accused of being affiliated with ETA and Batasuna. The two trials are comparable and the verdict is expected to be the same.
Further information:
- Gara: El Tribunal Supremo ilegaliza ANV y acuerda su disolución
- eitb24.com: El Tribunal Supremo ilegaliza ANV
- La Vanguardia: El Tribunal Supremo ilegaliza ANV y acuerda su disolución
Basque Country/Euskal Herria
General information
Population: 2.900.000 inhabitants (est)
Area: 20.500 km² (est)
Institutions: Navarra, Euskadi and Iparralde
State administration: Spain and France
Major cities: Iruñea, Bilbo, Donosti, Gazteiz, Baiona
Territorial language: Basque
Official language: Basque, Spanish and French
Major religion: Christianity (Catholicism)
See the Basque Country profile for further information.
