violation of human rights
RELATIVES AND FRIENDS

The policy of dispersal not only violates the prisoners' rights, but also there relatives', to the point of death. As we will see in the next section.

RIGHT TO COMMUNICATION

Those who want to visit our relatives in the Spanish state must travel and average of 1388 km. In the French states 1648 km. We have to add the fact that the number of people a prisoner can see has been restricted down to ten. This makes it harder for the relatives, since they must travel to the prisons more often. As a consequence 16 relatives and friends have already died on the way to or from the prisons. Last year we suffered 29 accidents more than one every two weeks. In these accidents 74 relatives and friends were involved with different consequences: Irantzu Abad for instance was in a state of coma.

The Spanish State?s penitentiary legislation has two different means of communication:

- Ordinary communication

- Special communication

Ordinary communication
This type of communication is contemplated and regulated by the article 90.1 and 90.2, from the penitentiary policies which state that: "The Prison Board will fix the days of the weeks in which the prisoners of different establishments can communicate, in such a way that they will have at least the following number of weekly communications: two for those who are arrested, prisoners and 1st and 2nd grade convicts. In the case of the 3rd grade convicts, as much as their work timetable allows them will be possible".

"The timetable for this service will be sufficient to be able to maintain at least a 20-minute communication, avoiding too crowded boxes which prevent correct communication, and the understanding of the conversations. The number of people present with the prisoner will not be higher than four, the control will be visual"

Legally, it takes into consideration the right for each prisoner to maintain two visits per week and 4 people can be present in each of them. This ordinary communication takes place in the boxes where there is no possibility of physical contact between the prisoner and the visitor, since it is separated by a glass and heavy bars.

Well, to be able to carry out the right to an ordinary communication as the Spanish State contemplates, represents an economic cost to the families of 7,539.666,22 euros per year, which means an average annual cost of 15,109,55 euros. To each family this means they have to pay the amount of 1,259,13 euros per month.

If we compare this situation with The French State, and with the current distribution of BPP there, the amount comes to 4,237.826,84 euros, which means the average annual cost of 28,068,08. To each family 2.338,76 euros.

Finally, if we consider the quantity between the displacement policy and dispersion in both states, and with the current distribution of BPP, it rises to 11.777.493,06 euros, which means an average annual cost of 18.119,22 euros. This represents to each family a monthly economic cost of 1,509,93 euros.

These points need to be taken into consideration:

- The costs of the journeys.

- The loss of working hours or unexpected situations, etc. are not taken into account.

- These costs are average, since the number of BPP in each prison is never the same.

The possibility of having both weekly visits on the same day has not been taken into consideration when counting these costs.

Special communication
This type of communication is taken into consideration and regulated by article 95 of the Penitentiary Legislation which states that: "The Prison Board will fix the timetable of visits which length will not be shorter than an hour and longer than three. With a previous petition of the prisoner, one special communication will be given, unless there are security or establishment reasons to reduce this number".

These monthly communications, in which up to four people can be present, are carried out in intimacy and with no impediments in the contact between the prisoners and their relatives.

In the current situation, in most prisons, apart from the so called familiar vis a vis, and after the last judiciary law, the BPP are allowed to maintain two more special communications every month, the intimate vis a vis, and vis a vis of co-living. In order to keep these they need to be a steady couple for the first case and have children under ten for the second.

So, for the families of the Spanish state to maintain these special communications would have the annual cost of 853.547,12 euros, - for each familiar visit to which the cost of the intimate visit needs to be added. This added amount would be another 886.972,25 euros -which all together means an average annual cost of 3,421,04 euro. For each family it has the monthly cost of 285,09 euros.

In the French State this type of communication is inexistent.

These points need to be taken into consideration:

- The costs of the journeys.

- The lost of working hours or unexpected situations, ... are not taken into account.

- The added cost of the co-living vis a vis is not counted, since an important part of BPP cannot currently have it.

- These costs are average, since the number of BPP in each prison is never the same.

To summarise, to exercise the right to communication in the current situation of dispersion the families have to spend the following amounts of money:

1. Ordinary visits: 11.777.493,06 euros.

2. Special visits: 1,707.094,24 euros.

3. Total annual cost: 13,484.587,30k euros.

This means that for each family the monthly costs are 1.728,79 euros.

The conclusion we can draw from these facts is evident: it is impossible to carry out the right to communication with the current dispersion, not only because of the economic costs but also because it would mean spending nearly the whole week on the road to be able to arrive at those visits.

This situation supposes that we condemn the prisoners to isolation, to break up with the affective and familiar environment of Basque Political Prisoners.

This conclusion would be different if simply the current legislation about the location of BPP in the prisons of Euskal-Herria would be applied.

Both the Spanish and French States hold our relatives in harsh conditions. We go to the prisons to give them our support and solidarity as relatives, and for doing this we are also sometimes punished, denying visits for months for instance. We are also criminalized, taken as terrorists. Our headquarters are checked and closed down by the police, although the had to be reopened later again.