Protest Presidency Of E.u. In Hands Of Torturers!

dublin | rights, freedoms and repression | event notice Tuesday April 06, 2010 15:05 by Dublin Basque - DUBLIN IRISH BASQUE SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE

PROTEST TO HIGHLIGHT REPRESSION AND TORTURE BY STATE CURRENTLY HOLDING EU PRESIDENCY

Protest the banning of political parties and organisations, closure of newspapers, arrest and torture of journalists and political activists, inhumane treatment of political prisoners and now kidnapping, torture and murder of activists by undercover Spanish police squads.

The Spanish state currently holds the EU Presidency until June.

Spain has the lion's share of the more than 750 Basque political prisoners it shares with France. It has many of political refugees abroad and pursues them, seeking their extradition to an undemocratic and patently unfair judicial system which has been variously criticised or condemned by Amnesty International and committees of the EU and United Nations. It is currently seeking extradition of Basques from London and from Belfast, among others.

In recent years Spain has banned five Basque political parties and three youth organisations, closed down two newspapers and radio stations, arrested and tortured thousands of political activists, arrested, tortured and jailed journalists and is now running undercover operations kidnapping, torturing and killing political activists, as shown by the cases of Jon Anza and others.

Support this action to expose the Spanish state's fundamentally undemocratic and repressive nature to the Irish public, confront the EU and the Spanish state with their crimes and show solidarity to the Basque people in struggle.

Protest will be at EU Dublin HQ, Dawson St. and Spanish Legation office, Molesworth St. (around the corner from one another).