Spain's National Audience court has ordered the immediate entry into prison of four of those convicted of attacking two Civil Guard officers and their partners in Altsasu, Navarre, in 2016. The four in question, charged with terrorism but convicted of public order offences over the bar fight, were sentenced to between 9 and 13 years in prison.
After holding a hearing to decide on cautionary measures during the appeals process, the judges have reached their decision, accepting a request from prosecutors, believing that the four pose a flight risk.
The four in question are Jon Ander Cob, Julen Goikoetxea, Aratz Urraizola and Iñaki Abad. Three of the others convicted in the case have already been held for a year and a half, so a total of seven will now be being held in custody. The only one still free is Ainara Urkijo, sentenced to two years.
Four days after the sentences were handed down, the court this morning ordered the four be arrested and, this afternoon, that they be taken into custody, in response to a request from prosecutors. It follows the hearing held at the courthouse in San Fernando de Henares (Madrid).
Meanwhile, Ohian Arnanz, sentenced to 13 years, and Adur Ramírez and Jokin Unamuno, given 12 years each, have been held in pretrial detention since the end of 2016.
Attacking authority and public disorder
The eight were convicted of attacking agents of the authorities, injuries, public disorder and threats. They all plan to appeal their sentences and have ten days to do so, according to information provided by the defence. It will be the recently created chamber of appeals in the National Audience which settles the case.
The court, which imposed the highest sentences possible for the crimes and applied aggravating factors of abuse of superiority and hatred, nonetheless found them innocent of the charge of terrorism called for by prosecutors and the accusation. The judges wrote in their verdict that "a terrorist objective of their actions hasn't been fully proved, nor their link to or membership of ETA".
The court also took into account, among other factors, their ages: "they weren't even of age when, in 2011, ETA abandoned its armed struggle". As such, they argue, "it's hard to imagine they would have taken on this ideology and maintained it over time". "There could be a decontextualization between ETA's initial ideology and the later actions of the accused."
But, despite that, the high sentences imposed on seven of the eight were because, for the judges, "it wasn't, without further ado, a simple altercation or, as is commonly said, a bar fight or a small incident or argument," as defence council argued.
Commotion in Altsasu
After the four were arrested early this morning, family members and residents of Altsasu gathered in front of the town hall to express their disagreement with the decision and call for their release whilst their appeals are considered. The protest was joined by the town's mayor, Javier Ollo, of Geroa Bai, a Basque nationalist coalition.
The youths' parents called both a press conference this afternoon, as well as a demonstration in the town's streets. There was also a rally planned for Pamplona, the capital of Navarre, at 8pm this evening.