Euskal Herria Journal
http://www.freespeech.org/ehj
http://www.contrast.org/mirrors/ehj
http://osis.ucsd.edu/~ehj (not updated yet)
Basque Solidarity with Mumia
By Mila Parot Zubimendi
Baiona, Euskal Herria. November 10, 1999
It is no secret that governments's defense of human rights is conditioned
by
politics. The regional government of Spain's Baskongadak - three of the
four Basque provinces in Spain - is no exception.
When the parliament of Baskongadak earlier this year decided to host a
meeting of the Kurdish parliament-in-exile, which meets in various
European
cities every few months, that decision was not a genuine act of
solidarity
with an oppressed people. The "moderate" Basque Nationalist Party (PNV),
which rules Baskongadak, is at war with Spain's ruling right-wing Popular
Party (PP) over more devolution, and the invitation to the Kurdish
parliamentary group gave the "moderate" Basques an opportunity to
practise
foreign policy but only in order to spite Madrid.
If the invitation had been genuine, the Baskongadak parliament would have
apologized to the Kurdish people for Baskongadak subsidies to Basque
companies that sell arms to Turkey -- especially to Expal which agreed
to
supply the government of Turkey with more than 13,000 MK bombs in a
period of
two years. The document issued by the parliament called for solidarity
but
failed to explain how arms subsidies supported that solidarity.
When the execution of African-American journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal was set
for
December 2, an opportunity arose for the Baskongadak parliament to
express
(genuine) outrage at the treatment of another minority. Basques are very
supportive of Mumia Abu-Jamal and a parliamentary statement would have
reflected the wishes of the Basques in these three provinces.
However, of the three regional parliaments that claim to represent the
divided Basque Country - Aquitaine Parliament, Baskongadak Parliament,
Navarrese Parliament -, only the parliament of Navarre has issued a
declaration demanding the commutation of the death warrant against
Mumia Abu-Jamal.
This inaction by the Baskongadak parliament again shows that the
parliament's
calls for solidarity and respect of human rights are conditioned by the
policy of the moment. The Baskongadak government is so anxious to have
the
U.S. mediate the Basque conflict that a letter to Bill Clinton on behalf
of
Mumia Abu-Jamal would have been "inappropriate" -- thus methodically and
ruthlessly looking after itself and its own, to the alarm and
consternation
of Basques.
It is no surprise that the parliament of Aquitaine, plagued by a mix of
right-wingers and pale Socialists has chosen to remain silent. But
Euskal
Herritarrok (aka Herri Batasuna), a parliamentary ally of the
"moderate" PNV and in the majority bloc, and the United Left parties, who
are supposed to be representing someone in the Baskongadak parliament,
should act now in defense of their principles.
Mila Parot is a law student and free-lance writer living in Baiona,
Basque Country.
Translation by Gigi Bidarte
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NUEVO AMANECER PRESS - EUROPA
Darrin Wood, Director. dwood@encomix.es
OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF THE
NAVARRESE PARLIAMENT
(October 22nd, 1999)
On October 13th, Governor Thomas Ridge of Pennsylvania signed
his 171 death warrant. It was the second death warrant against the
journalist and anti-racist fighter Mumia Abu-Jamal, ex-Black Panther
who openly critised the US Police Department's violence and racism
from a radio in Philadelphia. Unless a common international action
mediates, Mr Abu-Jamal will be executed on December 2nd with a
lethal injection.
Mumia Abu-Jamal was sentenced to death in 1982, after an irregular
process in which all the evidence pointed to his innocence. Key
witnesses on the trial stated that they were pressed by the Police to
give a false testimony. Even the European Parliament passed a
resolution on December 17th last year, in which it was stated that
Mr Abu-Jamal was found guilty in a biased trial and called on Mr
Ridge to abstain from signing another death warrant containing the
specific date for the execution. Besides, the European Parliament
once again requested the review of the trial and the commutation of
the capital punishment.
At present, there are 3 500 people awaiting in the death rows in the
USA for their sentence to be finally accomplished. It does not seem
a coincidence that more than 50% of the sentenced to death are
Afro-American people if we have into account that this community is
only 12% of the population. However, if we focus on the State of
Pennsylvania, the data are clearer: the Afro-American people are
9% of the population and 61% of the sentenced to death.
Hence, this Parliament agrees on:
1. Demanding the commutation of this death warrant
against Mumia Abu-Jamal.
2. Requesting the abolishment of the death penalty in
the USA and in any other place of the world.
3. Asking for the trial to be reviewed with all the
judicial guarantees.
4. Sending this statement to the following people and
institutions: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Thomas Ridge,
Governor of Pennsylvania; Bill Clinton, President of the
USA; Leonard Weinglass, Mumia's attorney;
European Parliament and Romano Prodi, President of
the European Commission.
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