• Courts: The National Court sets the last ETA macro trial
  • Terrorism: The legal front of ETA becomes entangled in the courts after almost 10 years of initiating the investigation
  • Newspaper library. Arantza Zulueta profile

The National Court sits on the bench of the defendants at the legal front of ETA in the last macro-trial of the terrorist band, 10 years after the first proceedings were opened to investigate the Halboka structure, in 2009, part of the political apparatus of the organization and responsible for managing the environment of prisoners and former prisoners.

Forty-seven lawyers will be tried from Monday and during the next two months -18 sessions scheduled- for alleged crimes of integration and collaboration in terrorist organization, exaltation, breach of precautionary measures and financing of terrorism, within the framework of the so-called Herrira case .

The veteran lawyer of ETA prisoners Arantza Zulueta, along with Jon Enparantza, Naia Zurriaran or the lawyers of some of those convicted of assaults on two civil guards in Alsasua (Navarra) - Amaia Izko Aramendia and Jaione Carrera Ciriza - will have to respond before the Third Section of the Criminal Chamber for his alleged participation in the "organizational conglomerate," as the Prosecutor's Office qualifies in his indictment, which was built around the so-called prison front.

The prosecutor in charge of this case, Miguel Ángel Carballo - Deputy Prosecutor of the National Court - defines this front as "an organizational entity" in which several organizations that worked in favor of the prisoners were grouped under the direction of the band. fled "in order to complement their terrorist activity." The prosecutor considers that the defendants participated in the reorganization of the prison front at least since January 2012

The Public Ministry, which asks for sentences between 14 and 11 years in prison, considers this "collective of lawyers" an integral structure of that prison front or makos front. Specifically, an organization formed by active lawyers who, presumably, used their status as lawyers to assist the members of the Basque Political Prisoners Collective (EPPK) in a legal, but also political manner, collecting information related to prisoners, which then sent to the front address.

ETA and KT instrument

«The realization of these activities made the group of lawyers one of the main instruments, both of ETA and KT [Koordinazio Taldea / coordination group] and Askatasuna », that is, support organizations that worked in favor of prisoners , as highlighted by the Prosecutor's Office in its brief. The successor of Askatasuna was Herrira , who assumed fundraising functions to give legal, social and medical assistance to prisoners, as well as responsibility for acts of homage and welcome in favor of prisoners.

With the dissolution of Askatasuna, the group of lawyers not only continues to be an instrument of the KT, but "submits to the discipline of the EPPK and becomes organically dependent on it", according to the facts to be prosecuted.

The facts investigated reveal that the group of lawyers integrated "organically" into a structure that depended "directly" on ETA. The Office considers that "all its members" were "fully aware of this situation and that the legal-political assistance and information gathering activities they carried out supported and complemented the activities of the terrorist organization."

The Public Ministry requests 14 years in prison and eight years of probation for Zulueta and Enparantza, and 12 years in jail and eight years of probation for Zurriaran. The popular accusation, represented by the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT), also requests sentences ranging from eight to 14 years in jail and considers Zulueta and Enparantza authors of the crime of active participation in a terrorist organization.

Arantza Zulueta and Jon Enparantza are accused in another procedure baptized as a Halboka case and where nine people will be sitting on the bench for alleged crimes of integration and collaboration in a terrorist organization, and of the deposit of weapons and explosives. Precisely, this cause was the first that was opened within the framework of the investigation of the Halboka structure. However, there is still no date to be prosecuted.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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  • National audience
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