ETA laundering

On May 31, 2006, the Secretary General of the Basque Socialists, Patxi López , announced that he would meet with the outlawed Batasuna after the President of the Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , had appeared in Congress prior to the start of contacts with ETA. Since eight leaders of that illegalized political formation appeared at the National Court those days accused of integration into the armed gang and terrorist threats, López asked the judges to take into account "the current situation in the Basque Country." He added that two scenarios were opened, "one for the dialogue between the Government and ETA to make effective the abandonment of weapons and the disappearance of terrorism; and another for the political dialogue in Euskadi." As a result of these negotiations , an agreement was reached to legalize the political arm of ETA . Finally, on June 20, 2012, Sortu was legalized by the Constitutional Court by only one vote of difference.

From that precise moment is when certain state institutions begin the embarrassing process of the rehabilitation of the terrorist organization ETA by legalizing its political arm. From this perspective, it can be said without a doubt that the Basque armed band was defeated by police, but won politically, which was what really interested them. It is a moral shame to launder the history of murderers, kidnappers and their accomplices. Today, people who hold public offices sit down in the institutions thanks to ETA, who owe everything to the Basque armed band, although now they want to live as if it never existed.

One of the current examples of these political maneuvers of rehabilitation is that of Arnaldo Otegi , at the time integrated in political-military ETA and linked to various kidnappings of the terrorist organization. Today he claims to be a "man of peace." In the recent TVE interview that he was given in order to bleach his past, he commented with a measured impudence: "I feel it from my heart if we have generated more pain to the victims of the necessary or that we had the right to do." It is incredible and even daring that Otegi affirms that they had the right to cause harm to the victims of terrorism in a state media and that they allow it.

In general, in all countries that have suffered the consequences of terrorism, their governments have tried to turn the page as soon as possible once these criminal activities have ended, either as a result of negotiations or a police defeat, as has happened recently. in Colombia with the FARC , a few years ago in Ireland with the IRA and now in Spain with ETA. In the first two countries all terrorists were released without clarifying the crimes they had perpetrated and both terrorist groups have formed their own political party that participates in the institutions. Something similar is happening with ETA here. All the members of the Basque armed band, both those who remain in prison and the many who enjoy freedom, live from their political group EH Bildu, which holds numerous political positions in Congress or the Spanish Senate, as well as in the Basque Parliament and in numerous municipalities of the Basque Country.

ETA terrorists achieved the legalization of their political organization from the various State agencies, from which they obtain huge economic income that everyone enjoys in order to have their lives settled to reintegrate into society, as decided institutionally. In addition to this decision of deep political depth, during the negotiations between the Government of Zapatero and ETA, the band got other counterparts from the Executive representatives . They promised the ETA members that the European Court of Human Rights would overthrow the Parot Doctrine , as it happened some time later, causing the release of 63 members of the armed organization. They also reached other agreements, including avoiding the arrests of ETA members in France. To this end, a police device was created that carried out what was called the slap of the Faisán bar with the aim of informing a member of the organization not to go to an appointment because they were going to be arrested.

In the roadmap of the negotiations it was also about the future of the prisoners of the band who remained in the prisons, reaching the agreement that, after the dissolution of ETA, the jailed ones of the organization would approach them to nearby prisons to the Basque Country, as is already being done in France and in Spain. Subsequently, they will be transferred to Basque penitentiary centers. And, as agreed, once the powers on this matter are transferred to the Basque Government, the penitentiary regulations will be modified in a more lax sense in order to facilitate the release of prisoners from the terrorist gang who continue to serve their sentences. Everything is studied, planned and agreed to whiten ETA and turn the page on the 40 years of terror in our country. All this included in what today would fit into the so-called standardization and reconciliation agreement of the Basque Country. In any case, it could be said that the route that has been carried out for the end of ETA has always been protected by the different State institutions.

The favoritism is evident that throughout the tragic history of ETA, its gunmen and its political arm, they have maintained with them the different governments of our country. However, and keeping the distance with the activists of the self-called Basque National Liberation Movement, in our country there are a number of officials of the State Security Forces and Corps, among which I find myself, that we play our lives for many years in the fight against terrorism , those who were responsible for political leadership in our country in the so-called dirty war against the Basque terrorists, and those who have marginalized and despised those same Executives who have always favored the gunmen of the Basque armed gang. In order to justify themselves before the French Government and international public opinion, political power, through leaks to different media, made me and one of the subordinates that I had in the early 80s, Michel Dominguez Not telling the truth from the beginning was our main mistake. They condemned us, we lost our professions, our way of life and that of our families, we spent several years in jail, they did not pardon us and our political leaders did not keep any of their promises. They left us in the most absolute abandonment. We have had to pass multiple calamities and we continue to survive badly.

In the 80s, my good friend Jesús Diego de Somontes , colonel of the Army, was the head of CESID (today CNI) for the entire Basque Country, where I was developing a similar professional work for the Police. During the exercise of his activity in the Intelligence Services I collaborated with him for a certain period of time in different information tasks related to ETA and his political arm Herri Batasuna. The aforementioned Intelligence Service prepared numerous classified documents in which they refer in detail to the activities of the LAGs. Part of those writings that remain secretly guarded by the CNI came into my hands through obvious channels .

At no time during these years have we been offered the protection of state institutions as they do with ETA terrorists. They have left us totally thrown away, they used us blatantly to cover up their political and judicial responsibilities. Given this obvious stumbling block, it is necessary to know at some point the reality we live and the relevant political positions that led us to this dire situation. For this there is a very simple solution, declassifying the documents that exist in the CNI on the creation, financing and responsibility of each in the activities of LAGs . In this way we will see what I and my subordinate Michel Dominguez had, and it will be determined if it was just the punishment that they forced us to assume and the helplessness to which we are being subjected.

Therefore, and given the denigratory treatment that we have received from the State institutions and our political leaders, I believe that the time has come to rehabilitate us by declassifying the documents to which I have referred and that the CNI has custody. That moment has arrived, therefore I advise the person in charge of raising the secret about the documentation indicated to make them public as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will do it at the time that I deem most appropriate for our interests and will contribute them to the National Court. May God help you all .

José Amedo Fouce is a former Deputy Police Commissioner.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• ETA
• Basque Country
• France
• Patxi Lopez
• National audience
• Sortu
• European Court of Human Rights
• constitutional Court
• Arnaldo Otegi
• Bildu
• José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
• Opinion

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