New blow from the Prosecutor’s Office, in this case from the National Court, to Judge Manuel García-Castellón. Hours after the Supreme Court prosecutor, Álvaro Redondo, opposed the High Court opening an investigation against Carles Puigdemont for possible terrorism crimes, prosecutor Carlos García-Berro Montillae has filed an appeal against García-Berro’s decision. Castellón to extend the investigation into public tributes to ETA prisoners who were leaving prison, known as ‘ongi etorri’, for six more.
The prosecutor’s letter, in fact, states that “it is intended to carry out a kind of general inquisition against anyone related to the group of prisoners of the extinct terrorist group ETA, without there being any criminal appearance in the conduct that is exposed and what we are exposed to.” We will refer later.” Furthermore, he argues that Dignidad y Justifica’s appeal to the decision to close the investigation, signed by García Castellón himself in October, was presented after the deadline.
The Public Ministry understands that the 95 tribute events held between 2016 and 2018 are sufficiently investigated and documented and must now be brought to trial. The investigation period concluded last October, at which time the Prosecutor’s Office asked that the matter be judged, which it considers to be a continued crime of humiliation of the victims of terrorism committed by a criminal organization without a terrorist nature.
The Prosecutor’s Office defends that its only “interest” is to “restore” the “dignity” of the victims for which “it is necessary that the investigation be concluded and we can advance in the processing of the case until the oral trial and the issuance of a reparatory sentence.”
The Dignity and Justice Association and the Popular Party appealed and asked for an extension of the deadline to investigate further. García Castellón accepted the request, pointed out that his decision to close the proceedings had been “premature” and ordered new proceedings, agreeing to investigate three Telegram groups. However, the Public Ministry understands that the proceedings are unnecessary and that there is already enough evidence to judge several people such as the historic leader of ETA José Antonio López Ruiz, ‘Kubati, Carlos Sáez de Eguilaz or Felipe San Epifanio, as well as the Sortu leaders Haimar Altuna and Oihana Garmendia or the person in charge of the Kalera Kalera website, Oihana San Vicente.
The extension of the investigation requested by Dignity and Justice and accepted by García Castellón, on the other hand, goes further and points to the possible relationship with the cause of the political party Sortu and Sare, a network for the rights of prisoners, due to their relationship with the aforementioned three Telegram groups in which he considered that “guidelines were given.”
Faced with this position, the Prosecutor’s Office rejects expanding the instruction to carry out a “prospective” investigation that involves an “attempt at a general inquisition” that goes beyond the study of the tributes paid in Euskadi and Navarra to released and repatriated ETA prisoners. to Spain or deceased.
“Not everything related to the group of prisoners of the extinct terrorist group ETA is a crime. For this, an analysis of the messages that those investigated read is enough,” says the Prosecutor’s Office, which insists that “it is not about prohibiting the praise or defense of ideas or doctrines, no matter how much these are alleged or even call into question the framework.” constitutional”.
