Basque Government grants third-degree status to former ETA leader

The Basque Government has re-approved the transition to third-degree prison status for former ETA military leader José Antonio Olarra Guridi. This decision follows a July revocation by the National Court, which had ruled that the prisoner had not yet demonstrated sufficient factors for social reintegration. The Basque Department of Justice stated the move was based on recommendations from prison professionals at the Zubieta facility, noting that the prisoner has undergone personal reflection.

In response, the Collective of Victims of Terrorism (COVITE) has denounced the Basque Government's recent policy of no longer communicating penitentiary resolutions regarding ETA prisoners to victims' associations. COVITE described the move as an ‘frontal attack’ on the right to justice, arguing that while the government has a duty to inform individual victims directly under Law 4/2015, this should not replace or obstruct the information channels provided to the associations representing them. The organization has demanded that the government either substantiate its claims regarding information leaks or formally withdraw them.