ETA documentary explores ‘revolutionary tax’ and extortion

The documentary series ‘Pay or Die: ETA in the Cave’ is set to premiere on Movistar Plus+, exploring the systematic extortion practiced by the terrorist organization ETA through the so-called ‘revolutionary tax.’ The series uses the experience of Basque businessman Jesús Guibert as its central narrative thread.

Guibert was abducted in March 1983 and held captive in a cave on Mount Arauntza for 17 days. The ordeal concluded following a ransom payment of 200 million pesetas. The production is based on the book ‘The Cave: Diary of the Kidnapping of a Basque Businessman,’ written by Guibert’s son, Jesuit priest and former University of Deusto rector José María Guibert.

Director Ricardo Sanz describes the series as an attempt to shed light on a subject that has long been a societal taboo, examining the ethical, moral, and historical complexities of how the terrorist group funded its activities through the blackmail of businesses in the Basque Country and Navarre.