Egunkaria
Encyclopedia
Egunkaria was for thirteen years the only fully Basque language
newspaper
in circulation, until it was closed down on February 20, 2003 by the Spanish
authorities, due to allegations of an illegal association with ETA
, the armed Basque
separatist group. After 7 years, on 15 April 2010 the defendants were acquitted on all charges related to ties to ETA. It remains open the issue of the damages for the shut down newspaper (not operative any more) and alleged tortures on detention to the members of the newspaper's executive board.
Egunkaria was established in 1990 as the only Basque-language daily newspaper
in the Basque Country (there had already been bilingual newspaper and monolingual weeklies). The promoters expected at the moment of first coming out in 1990 was to reach a circulation of 8,000 to 15,000 copies and 40,000 potential readers, a goal later achieved when being released, growing a widely respected publication as well as a meeting point for the Basque speaking community; the newspaper was also known for its nationalistic leanings.
It was sold in both the French and Spanish parts of the Basque Country
and its revenue from sales and advertising was complemented by subventions from the Basque regional government
.
On 20 February, 2003, the Spanish
Civil Guard on orders from Juan del Olmo
— a Spanish judge in the Audiencia Nacional — raided the newspaper's offices, seized documents and computers, and froze the newspaper's assets. In addition, ten individuals who were or had been members of staff were arrested in dawn raids and held.
In December 2004, Iñaki Uria, Joan Mari Torrealdai, Txema Auzmendi, Xabier Alegria, Pello Zubira, Xabier Oleaga, and Martxelo Otamendi were arrested for forming an "illegal association" at the time of Egunkaria's establishment, and for "membership of, or collaboration with, ETA". All were later cleared of all charges, and released. The newspaper was also effectively forced into liquidation as its assets were sold off by court-appointed administrators, meaning that regardless of the outcome of the case, Egunkaria had ceased to exist. On account of the irregularities and a breach of guarantees for the defendants, all decisions made since April 2007 related to the economic proceedings have been overturned. A similar accusation had closed the bilingual (Spanish-Basque) nationalist leftist newspaper Egin
, whose niche was occupied by Gara
.
The closure of Egunkaria resulted in grass-roots indignation, with widespread criticism coming from different circles (Basque regional government, reputed writers, etc.) towards the Spanish authorities. The writer
Salman Rushdie denounced the closure as "appalling", and the English
newspaper The Independent
made a small but symbolic financial donation towards the opening of the new Basque language publication, Berria
.
So far, no responsibilities have been cleared for having had a newspaper closed on no grounds during seven years now.
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in circulation, until it was closed down on February 20, 2003 by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
authorities, due to allegations of an illegal association with ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
, the armed Basque
Basque nationalism
Basque nationalism is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or, chiefly, full independence of the Basque Country in the wider sense...
separatist group. After 7 years, on 15 April 2010 the defendants were acquitted on all charges related to ties to ETA. It remains open the issue of the damages for the shut down newspaper (not operative any more) and alleged tortures on detention to the members of the newspaper's executive board.
Egunkaria was established in 1990 as the only Basque-language daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
in the Basque Country (there had already been bilingual newspaper and monolingual weeklies). The promoters expected at the moment of first coming out in 1990 was to reach a circulation of 8,000 to 15,000 copies and 40,000 potential readers, a goal later achieved when being released, growing a widely respected publication as well as a meeting point for the Basque speaking community; the newspaper was also known for its nationalistic leanings.
It was sold in both the French and Spanish parts of the Basque Country
Basque Country (historical territory)
The Basque Country is the name given to the home of the Basque people in the western Pyrenees that spans the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast....
and its revenue from sales and advertising was complemented by subventions from the Basque regional government
Basque Government
The Basque Government is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of this government is the lehendakari or Basque president that is appointed by the Basque Parliament every four years...
.
On 20 February, 2003, the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Civil Guard on orders from Juan del Olmo
Juan del Olmo
Juan del Olmo is a Spanish judge in the 2004 Madrid train bombings case. In 2003, he ordered that the Euskaldunon Egunkaria newspaper be closed on grounds of accusations driven by a "narrow and erroneous view according to which everything that has to do with the Basque language and with culture in...
— a Spanish judge in the Audiencia Nacional — raided the newspaper's offices, seized documents and computers, and froze the newspaper's assets. In addition, ten individuals who were or had been members of staff were arrested in dawn raids and held.
In December 2004, Iñaki Uria, Joan Mari Torrealdai, Txema Auzmendi, Xabier Alegria, Pello Zubira, Xabier Oleaga, and Martxelo Otamendi were arrested for forming an "illegal association" at the time of Egunkaria's establishment, and for "membership of, or collaboration with, ETA". All were later cleared of all charges, and released. The newspaper was also effectively forced into liquidation as its assets were sold off by court-appointed administrators, meaning that regardless of the outcome of the case, Egunkaria had ceased to exist. On account of the irregularities and a breach of guarantees for the defendants, all decisions made since April 2007 related to the economic proceedings have been overturned. A similar accusation had closed the bilingual (Spanish-Basque) nationalist leftist newspaper Egin
Egin (newspaper)
Egin was a Basque newspaper written in Spanish language and Basque language. It was published from Hernani by Orain SA, which also ran the radio station Egin Irratia.Its first issue was published on September 29, 1977....
, whose niche was occupied by Gara
Gara
Gara is a bilingual newspaper published in the city of San Sebastián in the Basque Autonomous Community...
.
The closure of Egunkaria resulted in grass-roots indignation, with widespread criticism coming from different circles (Basque regional government, reputed writers, etc.) towards the Spanish authorities. The writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
Salman Rushdie denounced the closure as "appalling", and the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
newspaper The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
made a small but symbolic financial donation towards the opening of the new Basque language publication, Berria
Berria
Berria is the only newspaper published wholly in the Basque language and which can be read in the entirety of the Basque country. It was created after the closure of the previous Basque language newspaper, Egunkaria, by the Spanish government, after being accused of having ties with ETA...
.
Final verdict: there was no grounds to close the newspaper
In 2010, the final and unanimous sentence by the Criminal Court of Audiencia Nacional was that there was no grounds to have been closed the newspaper. The sentence says that "the narrow and erroneous view according to which everything that has to do with the Basque language and with culture in that language is promoted and/or controlled by ETA leads to an incorrect assessment of facts and figures, and to the inconsistency of the accusation" and the closure was an "interference in press freedom". Finally, the sentence declares that "the allegations have not proven that the accused have the slightest relation with ETA, and this determines itself the acquittal with all pronouncements favorable to the accused."So far, no responsibilities have been cleared for having had a newspaper closed on no grounds during seven years now.
External links
- Juicio a Egunkaria - Spanish language blog on the trial to the Basque newspaper by L. Fernández, one of its journalists.
- Egunkaria International - English, French and Spanish language webpage about the case.