Manifesto
FOR RIGHTS TO BE GUARANTEED, IN SUPPORT OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION

There are currently almost 700 Basque citizens in prison, suffering exceptional measures that come from the so-called "antiterrorist policy". Their situation continues to get worse.

The fact that, to date, 20 people have died in jail, the latest only weeks ago, is but an example of their extremely tough living conditions.

Almost all of the prisoners, 98.5%, are held in jails outside our country, as part of the policy of prisoner dispersal implemented by the Spanish and French governments.

The policy of dispersal is contrary to their own laws and goes against the most elementary principles of the penitentiary regime. It also follows political decisions based on revenge and blackmail against incarcerated people and their family, social and political environment.

The policy of dispersal worsens reclusion conditions and extends the punishment to relatives and friends. For these people, spending a brief period of visit time with a jailed person means a terrible effort in terms of time, of risk on the long journeys to and from the jails and in economic terms. Here are some data to corroborate this:

- The average distance of the jails where Basque prisoners are held is 724 Kilometres from the Basque Country.

- The average yearly cost of travelling to visit a prisoner is 13,812 euro.

- 16 people have died on the road, on their way to and from visits.

- So far this year, there have been 28 of these traffic accidents, resulting in 72 people injured.

It is necessary to denounce the fact that the Spanish and French governments continue to follow in the steps of previous governments in terms of their penal and penitentiary policy: increasing sentence length, maintaining the policy of dispersal, imposing isolation, restricting communication, violating the rights of ill prisoners, blocking the right to an education and to use the Basque language, eliminating any options to sentence reduction and penitentiary benefits contemplated in law (to the point of reviewing previously granted sentence reductions and beginning new proceedings aimed at preventing the release of prisoners). All these measures seek to make living conditions even tougher for prisoners and extend their time in jail to the possible maximum. The French state already applies life imprisonment by law and, judging by the actions of the Spanish government they too have the same aim.

In view of the serious nature of all these matters and the political decisions behind them, the undersigned issue the following demands to the Spanish and French governments:

The right to respectful and dignified treatment

- End torture and ill treatment

- End isolation and beatings

- Respect for the national and cultural identity of imprisoned people.

The right to health

- Proper healthcare

- Allow doctors chosen by the prisoners to visit them

- Immediate release of those who suffer serious illnesses.

Communication rights

- End surveillance and restrictions in communication

- Freedom to communicate in the Basque language

Language rights

- Allow Basque prisoners to freely carry out their daily lives in Basque and fully develop their language skills.

The right to an education:

- End the obstacles to study

- Allow the possibility to carry out studies in Basque

Motherhood and fatherhood rights

- Women in prison have the right to be mothers in conditions which do not diminish their dignity.

- Eliminate restrictions on communication with the child's father.

- Guarantee living conditions for children in jail.

Release rights

- Apply parole to prisoners who have served 3/4 or 2/3 of their sentence (depending on the Penal Code under which they were tried)

- Apply the corresponding legal sentence reductions without discrimination.

- Immediate release for prisoners who suffer serious incurable diseases.

In terms of the political prisoners' collective, the right to be regrouped in the Basque country

- Acknowledge the representatives elected by the Collective.

- Allow the Collective to freely maintain relations with other political and social actors.

- Allow the Collective to freely participate in whichever instruments for debate and discussion Basque society creates.

Finally, the undersigned organisations, groupings and trade unions:

- Join, again, the cry of "Repatriate the Basque Prisoners!"

- Ask our fellows and colleagues and, in general, Basque society, to become conscious of the serious situation of imprisoned people, support these demands and become active in working for these demands.

- Issue a special call to all to participate in the protests organised by ETXERAT in the villages and cities of the Basque Country on the last Friday of every month.

- We also issue a call to retake the symbol-flag of Euskal Presoak Euskal Herrira "Repatriate the Basque Prisoners" and ensure it is massively displayed around the Basque Country.