Basque politicians 'guilty' for promoting peace

Rufi Etxeberria (acquitted) and historical leader Tasio Erkizia leave the court

I will surely address the matter again tomorrow but you must know already that five Basque politicians, have been condemned by the Spanish Inquisition (Audiencia Nacional) for political meetings that helped promote the ongoing unilateral peace process (process?, peace?)

Arnaldo Otegi (former speaker of Batasuna), Rafa Díez (former secretary general of labor union LAB), Sonia Jacinto, Miren Zabaleta and Arkaitz Rodríguez were given prison terms of 8 to 10 years for allegedly being "members of ETA".

Evidence? None at all. In the Spanish penal code the word of a policeman is evidence enough, as long a the judge agrees. So all the evidence are police reports, or rather wild speculations.

The sentence, the hardest possible, is a major direct attack against the peace process. It's very difficult to see how it can continue for long with this kind of brutal political persecution. While the Basque Nationalist Left seems determined to continue through the path of peace and surely they will give this process more time, I find almost impossible to conceive how this mutilated process that lacks of any will of peace by the side of the Spanish invaders can advance. 

It is not anymore comparable to the situation in North Ireland but rather to than of the West Sahara, Palestine or Kurdistan, where the oppressor side denies any hope of a fair exit, forcing the oppressed to take up arms without any hope for dialogue. 

Fascist dictator Franco's last words: I leave all tied and well tied.

References[es]: Gara, Sare Antifaxista.