Dispersal Policy for basques #HumanRights

Page 1

Etxerat.eus Relatives and friends of the Basque political prisoners

DISPERSAL POLICY MAP Nowadays there are 455 Basque political prisoners imprisoned.

Bapaume 2 973

Numbers in each prison: Rennes 3 701

Prison Prisoners

Km.

Alençon 2 735 Fresnes 7 810

Poissy 3 838

Nanterre 3 829

Fleury M. 12 806

The reference to calculate distances is the city of Donostia (San Sebastian)

Zaballa 2

Curtis 9 651

Monterroxo 5 643

A Lama 12 738

Martutene 2

Basauri 1

El Dueso 2 166

Burgos 6 218 Logroño 5 165 Soria Valladolid 4 261 7 349 Brieva 1 402 Segovia 1 408 Teruel

Huelva 14 994

Puerto I, II y III 31 1.020

Córdoba 11 818

Jaén 9 766 Granada 14 860

Liancourt 3 892

Clairvaux 3 962

Roanne 2 746

B.-en-Bresse 1 864 Lyon 3 875

Arles 1 662

Number of prisons

Daroca 3 343 1

432

Valencia II y III 22 601 Alacant II (Villena) 11 707 Alacant I 9 Murcia I y II

Tarascon 3 699

Zuera 12 300

Castelló I y II 17 574

Herrera M. 13 620

Sevilla II 11 960

Beziers 3 520

Ocaña I y II 10 513

Badajoz 9 756

La Santé 5 817

Moulins-Yzeure 3 710

Muret CD y Seysses 2 329 Lannemezan 6 231

MADRID

SPAIN

Meaux

Mont de Marsan 3 156

Dueñas 5 305

Cáceres II 6 657

867

Villepinte 3 847

FRANCE

Gradignan 2 233

Mansilla 8 366

Topas 12 467

Osny 875

Reau Bois d´Arcy 3 824 5 834

4 442 St. M. de Re

BASQUE COUNTRY

Villabona 6 384

4

2

St. Maur 6 560

Poitiers 5 467

Source: Etxerat. Map: GARA

Bonxe 1 613

PARIS

750

S. del Real 5 421 Aranjuez 7 511 Alcalá 4 463 Navalcarnero 3 485 Estremera 6 516

Basque Country

Number of prisoners

3

5

Spain

45

352

France

26

96

Germany

1

1

England

1

1

Portugal

1

1

-

5

76

455

Serving sentences at home

TOTAL

18 818

#BSQsHUMANRIGHTS


ASSOCIATION

1. We are relatives and friends of Basque political prisoners, exiles and deportees. Being a relative of a prisoner is not a matter of choice, but rather a situation imposed on us by the imprisonment or exile of our relatives. As such, there are different opinions and ideas among us. 2. This situation (of our relatives in exile, imprisonment and deportation) not only puts us face to face with the violation of their rights, but also of our rights as we do not abandon our emotional bonds with them. 3. We denounce the violation of our relatives’ rights and the violation of our rights, as well as using these rights as an instrument of blackmail, pressure and revenge. 4. We demand respect for all these people’s rights as an essential step towards resolution and peace. 5. We also demand recognition of these people’s suffering as a guarantee of a narrative based on truth and also as a guarantee of non-repetition.

WHAT IS ETXERAT? It is an association where relatives of Basque political prisoners, exiles and deportees can find: •

Assistance, advice and support to help them minimize the damage due to a harmful and traumatic situation that affects all aspects of their physical, mental, social and economic life: prison, exile, and deportation.

A space where their experiences can be shared and understood

An area of work: information, testimony, denunciation of wrong and demand for justice.


WHAT IS DISPERSAL POLICY? It is a special discriminatory policy applied by different Spanish and French governments for nearly three decades to the Basque political prisoners against the principles contained in the Spanish Penal Code: �The Spanish prisons are scattered throughout the country allowing inmates to serve their sentences in the nearest prison to their birthplace in order to avoid family and social uprooting.� 455 Basque political prisoners are imprisoned in 76 prisons.

DATA Distance

Percentage

Total distance for relatives

More than 1.000 km

14,06% (64 people)

More than 2000 km on average per visit

Between 990-800 km

26,81% (122 people)

1800 km on average per visit

Between 790-500 km

36,48% (166 people)

1300 km om average per visit

Between 490-400 km

6,81% (31 people)

900 km on average per visit

Less than 400 km

14,72% (67 people)

600 km on average per visit

Portugal, England and Germany

0,65% (3 people)

More than 2000 on average per visit

Therefore, the dispersal policy was designed with the aim to uproot the prisoners of their social, emotional and family environment, in addition to denying their right to take part in the political life of their country.


WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES? This special measure applied to our imprisoned relatives directly affects their family and close environment. To exercise our right to visit them, we, relatives and friends are forced to travel in the worst conditions thousands of miles to visit them for an hour and a half (half an hour in Spain). The physical, financial and emotional toll is evident, even more in the cases of very remote prisons or in cases of very long sentences (some prisoners have served sentences of up to 31 years in). The most serious consequence is that in more than 25 years of dispersal policy 16 relatives and friends have died on the road, when travelling to visit an imprisoned relative. As long as this dispersal policy does not stop these families are at risk of death. As we do not abandon our emotional bonds with them, nowadays the family and friends of Basque political prisoners are doomed to continue traveling and to have high expenses. Our right to family conciliation, to life and in several cases, to health are subject to a political decision. We are unrecognized victims of a policy that seeks to pressure Basque political prisoners through their relatives. Victims of abuses, harassments, discriminations and systematic violations of our fundamental rights.

www.etxerat.eus


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