Summoned by ETXERAT, relatives of Basque political prisoners have once again denounced to the media the mistreatment of Basque militants in prisons: "The Basque society, its political and social institutions and agents have called for the rapprochement of all prisoners to Basque prisons, the freedom of the elderly and sick prisoners, the fulfilment of the European criterion for the accumulation of sentences and the overcoming of the obstacle of the first grade. How long are we going to be victims of this emergency prison policy?"

At the hearing, Onintza Ostolaza summarized how the issue of prisoners who are calling for a breakthrough from the first grade 2.era is currently being dealt with. The Central Prison Surveillance Court EZEZ has served 50 Cars from July to date the petitions that have come to them. Of these, only one has risen from the first grade 2.era, while the other grade has been done by the prison administration itself. After discussing the legal bases of negative motivations one by one, Ostolaza summarizes the subject of grades as follows:

"We have already said that there are currently about 70 resources at the CZE, pending resolution, requesting the passage of grade 1 2.era. Other requests are at the previous stage, i.e. at the administrative stage, in which the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions must decide whether or not to accept this progression. Before, every 3 months, the Treatment Boards of each prison decide whether or not to remain in grade 1.

We would like to emphasize that most of the people we defend, even if they are in the 1st grade, are in the 2nd grade modules, living with the prisoners in the 2nd grade. Therefore, except for the 30 political prisoners who are in closed or isolation modules, the remainder (around 175), “de facto” are in Grade 2 modules with Grade 1 restrictions (limitations to go outside, limitations to carry out activities, etc.). Therefore, the systematic and permanent maintenance of our defenders in grade 1 has, in our view, a hidden objective: to prevent prisoners from making a legal and individual prison path. Because they know that if you are allowed to do this path, once you get the 2nd grade, you can get the exit permits, then the 3rd grade and finally the conditional release. Therefore, the realization of the individual legal path, the very instances that are being demanded for it, is being hampered.

We therefore urge all these judicial and administrative bodies (the Central Prison Monitoring Tribunal, the General Secretariat of Penitentiary Institutions and the Treatment Board of each penitentiary centre) to implement the existing prison legislation, and according to it, all Basque political prisoners are released from grade 1 and set out in grade 2 (in the ordinary regime) to actually continue the legal path."