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The General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions, dependent on the Ministry of the Interior, has announced this Wednesday the approach to a prison in the Basque Country of Francisco Javier García Gaztelu, alias 'Txapote', one of the former ETA leaders with the highest number of crimes, among them that of the PP councilor Miguel Ángel Blanco 25 years ago.

The decision affects a total of 13 ETA prisoners, including Henri Parot, who gave his name to the doctrine to shorten sentences after the decision of the European courts.

In his case, he will leave the El Dueso prison to go to one in the Basque Country, according to the information communicated to the victims' associations.

The list is completed by Ismael Berastegui, Manex Castro Zabaleta, José Antonio Zurutuza Sarasola, Aitor Agirrebarrena Beldarrain, Oscar Celarain Ortiz, Jon Bienzobas Arretxe, Juan Manuel Inciarte Gallardo, Eider Pérez Aristizabal, Jon Igor Solana Matarrán, Juan Luis Rubenach Roig and Félix Alberto López. from Gauna Street.

Henri Parot, at the National High Court in 2007. EFE

'Txapote', one of ETA's bloodiest terrorists, was previously transferred, in March 2021, from the Huelva prison to the Madrid-Estremera prison within the rapprochement policy promoted by the Ministry of the Interior since the arrival of Pedro Sánchez to the Presidency of the Government in mid-2018.

García Gaztelu is serving a sentence for 14 murders, including that of Miguel Ángel Blanco, Gregorio Ordóñez, Fernando Múgica Herzog and Fernando Buesa.

His release from prison is not expected before February 2031, according to legal sources reported in July when the 25th anniversary of the Ermua councilman's crime was commemorated.

Arrested in France in 2001, 'Txapote' was part of the 'hard wing' of the terrorist group, having never shown remorse for his crimes.

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  • ETA

  • Ministry of Interior

  • France

  • Pedro Sanchez

  • PP

  • Parot doctrine

  • Justice

  • Fernando Grande-Marlaska