The Hindu : Spain bans ETA's political wing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 27, 2002

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International

Spain bans ETA's political wing

MADRID JUNE 26. The Spanish Senate overwhelmingly approved a law on Tuesday allowing the Supreme Court to outlaw political parties found to encourage or support terrorism, a move widely seen as one against the Basque separatist movement.

The Senate voted 214-15 to pass the Political Parties law. Thirty senators were absent at the 259-seat Senate, which is controlled by the Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar's Popular Party.

The controversial law will come into force after its publication in the Official State Bulletin in the next days.

The Congress also approved the law on June 4 by an overwhelming majority.

``We cannot and we won't allow a legal political party that will use its headquarters as an arms deposit or as a shelter for killers,'' said Justice Minister, Angel Acebes, before the vote.

He did not mention any names, but the law is reported to be targeted at Batasuna, a political party that is widely seen as the Basque separatist group ETA's political wing.

Under the new law, a plurality in either House of Parliament is needed to make a request to outlaw a party to the Government, which could then either pass on the request to the Attorney-General or file a petition directly with the Supreme Court.

The law will give the Supreme Court the power to ban and order the dissolution of political parties and will automatically cut them off from the state funding now received by all legal political parties, including Batasuna.It also allows for banning a party that regroups under a different name, something that has been common practice for separatist political and youth organisations. Batasuna, which is Basque for United, was formed in the early years of renewed democracy that swept Spain following the death of Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975. Back then it was called Herri Batasuna, or People United. The Interior Minister, Mariano Rajoy, said at the Senate that the Government would wait for the most convenient moment to act against Batasuna and seek its dissolution. — AP

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