2 October 1997 Edition
Basque killings were shoot-to-kill
The Spanish Minister of the Interior on Monday admitted that two ETA Volunteers who were shot dead in the Basque city of Bilbao on Wednesday of last week, did not fire on police.
His statement contradicts an initial statement that said there had been a "gunbattle" following an "encounter" with Spanish police. Eyewitnesses confirmed that it had been a shoot-to-kill operation.
Karmelo Landa, MP and member of the national board of the left-wing Basque party Herri Batasuna (HB), said that the operation was a police ambush. He renewed HB's demand to stop repression and for the withdrawal of the security forces from Southern Basque Country and to begin political negotiations.
* Next Monday sees the start of the trial of 23 members of the national executive of Herri Batasuna. They are charged with "promoting terrorism" after they included footage of ETA's plans for a peace process in an election video. The prosecution is expected to press for heavy sentences and right wing groups plan to picket the court.
Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey will travel to Madrid next week as an observer at the trial.
His statement contradicts an initial statement that said there had been a "gunbattle" following an "encounter" with Spanish police. Eyewitnesses confirmed that it had been a shoot-to-kill operation.
Karmelo Landa, MP and member of the national board of the left-wing Basque party Herri Batasuna (HB), said that the operation was a police ambush. He renewed HB's demand to stop repression and for the withdrawal of the security forces from Southern Basque Country and to begin political negotiations.
* Next Monday sees the start of the trial of 23 members of the national executive of Herri Batasuna. They are charged with "promoting terrorism" after they included footage of ETA's plans for a peace process in an election video. The prosecution is expected to press for heavy sentences and right wing groups plan to picket the court.
Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey will travel to Madrid next week as an observer at the trial.