Notorious ETA killer to face article charges

10 August 2005

MADRID – Another judicial attempt is under way to keep one of Spain’s most notorious terrorists behind bars.

In 1987, José Ignacio de Juana Chaos received more than 3,000 years’ jail for his part in 11 attacks and 25 murders by the separatist group ETA.

However, since in Spain no prisoner can serve more than 30 years and thanks to a 12-year remission for taking an educational course, De Juana Chaos was due out early this year.

He was kept in jail after further legal charges were brought against him for promoting terrorism by writing two newspaper articles, but in June a judge threw out the case, stating there were insufficient grounds for prosecution.

The decision created public outcry, with victims’ families pointing out that De Juana Chaos had only served 18 years – not even a year for each of his murders.

The public prosecutor’s officer immediately appealed against the decision and it was overturned. On Wednesday, it was announced that judge Santiago Pedraz will prosecute De Juana Chaos for the same charges.

Three directors, a sub-director and a former director of the prison service are to give evidence against De Juana Chaos in relation to the articles which were titled ‘El Escudo’ (The Shield) and ‘Gallizo’, which referred to the director general of penitentiary institutions, Mercedes Gallizo.

In the articles, which were published by the newspaper Gara , De Juana Chaos stated: “The enemy has grown” and said “Take your dirty hands out of the Basque country. Take them out because the other route only involves suffering.”

In 1998, after the murder of a council official in Seville by ETA, he wrote from jail: “I love to see the twisted faces of the relatives at the funerals. Here in prison, their tears are our smiles.”

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news