Burgos trials
Burgos trials | |
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death sentences, later commuted to 30 years in prison | |
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The Burgos trials (
Widespread popular support for the defendants among the
On 28 December, the tribunals found all defendants guilty of the crimes of which they were accused. Six of them were sentenced to death. However, reacting to international pressure, the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco commuted the sentences to lengthy prison spells. Sparking condemnations from public figures including Pope Paul VI and Jean-Paul Sartre, the Burgos trials gained notoriety for being "one of the last occasions on which political prisoners were sentenced to [death]."[1]
Murders of 1968
The trial at Burgos was in part a reaction to
Two months later, on 2 August 1968, ETA committed its first premeditated murder by assassinating
Buildup to the trial
Part of a series on |
Francoism |
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Eagle of Saint John |
In August 1970, the Spanish government resolved to hold a
The prosecution demanded the
With the trial the government sought to continue its successful campaign against ETA which had resulted in the arrest of many of the group's leaders in 1969.
Up until its beginning, ETA tried to compromise the trial through
Trial
The planned military tribunal was convened in the northwestern city of
As the trial focused on events which occurred between 1968 and 1969, it was "not generally understood" that ETA had since split into several factions. Splinter groups ETA-V and ETA-IV issued contradictory reports to the press, which "only added to the confusion".[13]
During its first four days, the trial heard statements from the defendants. In a 2015 book, the historian John Sullivan said:
[The statements] seemed to show that ETA had been transformed into a Marxist-Leninist organization which, while it confined its activities to
Euskadi, sympathised equally with the oppressed elsewhere in Spain, and had completely abandoned anti-Spanish chauvinism.[16]
Some, however, took a "more traditional nationalist stance", including declaring that ETA was a "movement of national liberation".[16] They also recounted incidents of torture experienced at the hands of the Spanish military police.[17] According to historian Luis Castells, the trials thus became "a milestone in the anti-Franco struggle", generating "an unreleased mobilization in the Basque Country, in Spain and internationally".[18]
On 7 December, the trial was interrupted because one of the presiding officers had fallen ill. When proceedings resumed the following day, the tribunal adopted a more rigid approach, suppressing statements not related to the accessions to prevent further digressions by the defendants. In response, most of them exercised their
Verdict
After proceedings had ended on 9 December 1970, the tribunal took several days to deliberate and announced its verdict on 28 December.
On 30 December, Franco commuted all death penalties to prison sentences of 30 years, except the "double death sentences", which were commuted to 60-year sentences, to which were added various other sentences ranging from 20 to 30 years.[2][20] While some of the sentences reached 80 to 90 years, the New York Times described these as "theoretical", noting that Spanish law at the time prohibited prison sentences longer than 30 years.
Aftermath
The Burgos trials turned out to be a debacle for the Spanish government. ETA, a separatist organisation of little relevance outside Spain before the trial, became a symbol of the opposition against the dictatorship for the international public.[21] The group began to attract support from civil society, including the Basque Nationalist Party, the Spanish Communist Party and the Catholic Church.[22] Franco's decision to commute the proposed death penalties was greeted with relief by the international community. The Holy See was reported to have received the news "with particular satisfaction" after Pope Paul VI had advocated for the defendants' lives.[20] The trials nevertheless gained notoriety for being "one of the last occasions on which political prisoners were sentenced to death."[1] In the preface to a book (Le procès de Burgos) published soon after the events,[23] the philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre praised the defendants for showcasing the predicament of the Basque people to the world.[22]
In the decade following the trials, ETA continued its attacks on public sector targets. In December 1973, the group planted a bomb that would kill
Notes
- ^ While 16 is given as the number of defendants, sources provide varying lists of names.
References
- ^ a b Nash, Elizabeth (8 September 2003). "Obituary – Mario Onainda". The Independent.
- ^ a b c d e f g Muro 2013, p. 105.
- ^ a b c "Timeline: Eta". The Guardian. 11 March 2004. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ New York Times. 4 December 1970. Archivedfrom the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Sullivan 2015, p. 94.
- ^ "Iker Casanova, encarcelado 11 años por su relación con ETA, ocupará el escaño de Mintegi en el Parlamento". ELMUNDO. 1 September 2014.
- ^ Casanova 2007, pp. 117–8.
- ^ Sullivan 2015, p. 63.
- ^ a b Sullivan 2015, p. 62.
- ^ Casanova 2007, pp. 118–9.
- ^ Casanova 2007, p. 119.
- New York Times. 26 December 1970. Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ a b Sullivan 2015, p. 92.
- ^ Sullivan 2015, p. 95.
- ^ Sullivan 2015, pp. 95–6.
- ^ a b Sullivan 2015, pp. 95–7.
- ^ Sullivan 2015, p. 98.
- ^ ""The Burgos process favored anti-Francoism, but also propelled ETA"". CE Noticias Financieras English. 27 November 2020.
- ^ a b Sullivan 2015, pp. 98–9.
- ^ New York Times. 31 December 1970. Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ "ETA's 50 years leave a bloody legacy". El País. 30 July 2009. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ a b Muro 2013, p. 106.
- ^ Halimi 1971, preface.
- ^ "Mañana, primer aniversario de las últimas penas de muerte ejecutadas en España". El País. 26 September 1976. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
Bibliography
- Casanova, Iker (2007). ETA: 1958–2008. Medio siglo de historia. Tafalla. ISBN 978-8481365078.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Halimi, Gisèle (1971). Le procès de Burgos. Paris. ISBN 978-2070279487.)
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Muro, Diego (2013). Ethnicity and Violence: The Case of Radical Basque Nationalism. New York. ISBN 9781134167692.)
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Sullivan, John (2015). ETA and Basque Nationalism. New York. ISBN 9781317479604.)
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link