Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Strassbourg clears Basque leader of insults to the King and orders Spain to pay compensation

In a historical ruling, the European Tribunal of Human Rights has declared that when Arnaldo Otegi said, in 2003, that the King of Spain Juan Carlos II is responsible of torturers he was not insulting but making a legitimate criticism. More so as he was an elected popular representative and as freedom of speech is a precious right.

In that time Otegi was sentenced to one year of prison for insults to the King.

For all that the European tribunal sentences the State of Spain to pay €20,000 to Otegi in moral damages plus the €3,000 of the costs of the judicial procedure.

Originally the Superior Tribunal of the Basque Country judged in favor of Otegi but an appeal to Spanish Supreme Court had him declared guilty. Now he has been vindicated by the highest court of all the European Union against which there is no possible appeal. 

However it is very sad that the we, the Basque People, have to bee all the time asking for uncertain protection from European institutions when we could do very well on our own, would it not be for the Spanish and French occupation. 

The pampered Spanish monarch, appointed by the late Fascist and Fundamentalist dictator Gral. Francisco Franco, has already caused in the past cases of embargoes of publications, often satiric ones. And that is because tyranny does not accept criticism, much less humor. 

His huge salary has not been affected by the recent budgetary cuts.

Source: Gara[es] - Ref. full sentence (PDF)[fr]

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