Before beginning, we’d like to express our thanks to all of those who today, and throughout the past weeks, have shown their support and solidarity. With your permission we would like to share that solidarity with all Basque political prisoners and with revolutionaries around the world who are criminalized for their activist commitment.
With the arrests two years ago they tried to impede that the change of strategy in the Basque Left was done in a cohesive and orderly fashion. Today with this harsh sentence they are only have one objective: trying to impede in the coming weeks and months that we take steps, in consonance with new strategy we’ve adopted, secures the new scenario in Euskal Herria in a definitive and irreversible way. They couldn’t stop the former and we won’t let them stop the latter.
We had the occasion to transmit to you from the cells of the National Court that we desired to offer an olive branch to those who judged us and sentenced us. We weren’t allowed to and that fact is a highly significant metaphor for the objective they seek: to let the olive branch fall, to in this way go back to scenes of violent confrontation and again to give them their excuses which hide their absolute political weakness and their reactionary and authoritarian character, that leaves the Basque Country with no alternative other than economic crisis, denial of our rights and the most cruel repression.
Yes. We have to say it loud and clear, powerful forces still exist which are installed in different sectors of the state that manage an agenda whose only objective is to impede peace in Euskal Herria.
The agents who manage this agenda of lies and repression are trying on this occasion, and we want them to know that we are aware of it, to keep the new steps towards the definitive and irreversible character of the democratic process that has opened in Euskal Herria from happening.

They will not succeed!
Because, Mr. Lopez, Ares, Rubalcaba*… if peace doesn’t come to Euskal Herria at the hands of an inexistent Spanish State of Law, then it will come at the hands of those who support the right to state for the Basque people.
For that we make a call for all of those who are in favour of a Basque democratic process: strengthen the path taken and abide by the decisions and commitments that we’ve acquired (with our own people and with the international community). Because the best response is to strengthen the path that we’ve chosen.

Two things to close with; first, we want our heartfelt congratulations to reach the Palestinian people for the initiative carried out in a unilateral way before the United Nations; we are with you… Long live the Palestinian people!
Second, while we wrote this letter we had passed through the prison at Burgos and many were the memories that came to mind: the Trial of Burgos (a kiss Itziar, Txutxo, Julen, a big hug Jokin!)* Also from this prison on September 27, 1975, they took Angel Otaegi out to be shot (together with Txiki and three members of the FRAP)*, so many struggles, so much suffering… but now we are on the right path and never forget what the Bertsolari said in Elgoibar: smiling is another way of baring your teeth!

*Lopez, Arez Rubalcaba: key members of the Spanish Socialist Party during the 2006 peace process.* In December 1970, several members of ETA were condemned to death in the Proceso de Burgos (“Burgos Trial”), but international pressure resulted in their sentences being commuted (a process which, however, had by that time already been applied to some other members of ETA). on 27 September 1975 Franco executed the members of the armed organisation ETA Jon Paredes Manot (Txiki) and Angel Otaegi Etxebarria as well as 3 members of a Spanish marxist group called FRAP.