18 members of the popular movement for the respect of the rights of Basque political prisoners and refugees, Herrira, have been arrested by the Spanish Guardia Civil on Monday.

Their "crime" was working for the respect for the rights of Basque political prisoners and refugees. Also, various premises of this movement have been raided and various web pages have been shut down.

These arrests have been ordered by a judge from the Spanish National Court and carried out by the Guardia Civil, a police force that has been condemned on repeated occasions for torturing Basque citizens by various organizations.

This operation against the Herrira movement, which has always expressed a clear position for the respect of all human rights for everyone, "represents a serious violation of democratic freedoms", say members of the organization. Herrira has carried out their work in a totally public manner and there have been numerous social organizations of all types who have supported their mobilizations.

In their work in the defence of the rights of Basque political prisoners members of Herrira have brought their message in a totally peaceful manner to different places and they have met with different agents in the Basque Country as well as in the international sphere, among them diverse members of the European Parliament who sent a message of solidarity to the last act that Herrira celebrated on September 14th in Pamplona and in which they called for the end of the 197/2006 Doctrine.

With these arrests the Spanish government again shows their lack of will to advance in the resolution of the conflict that the Basque Country lives. These arrests don’t have a place in the new time that the Basque Country is living; and in which Basque society is taking steps and acquiring commitments to advance towards a scenario of a just and lasting peace.

Beyond the arrests and the obstacles that the Spanish and French states are trying to put the commitment of Basque society is clear: to continue advancing and creating conditions to advance towards the definitive resolution of the conflict.