Parisian court frees Josu Ternera and clears the way for his possible return to Spain
A French court acquits the former ETA leader after finding no evidence of his continued involvement in ETA between 2002 and 2005, closing the last legal case he faced in that country and allowing the European arrest warrant to be activated.
Parisian court frees Josu Ternera and clears the way for his possible return to Spain
A judge in the French capital has decided not to punish José Antonio Urrutikoetxea, alias Josu Ternera, for the alleged crime of membership in an armed group. The ruling, handed down on Thursday, argues that there is no evidence confirming that the historic leader remained in the ranks of ETA during the three-year period analysed. The judge imposed neither prison nor expulsion, according to ABC.
The defendant, who has already turned 75, was arrested in May 2019 in an Alpine area of the neighbouring country. He spent just over twelve months in preventive solitary confinement before regaining his freedom in 2020. Since then, his legal team has filed multiple appeals to postpone compliance with the European arrest warrant requested by Spain's National Court.
Now, with all French legal proceedings concluded, nothing prevents the extradition from being carried out. At the beginning of last month, the same judicial body had already given the go-ahead to the European arrest warrant issued by judge Santiago Pedraz, whilst leaving execution suspended until the final proceedings were concluded.
Two cases await him in Spanish territory. One investigates the provision of funds to the organisation through Basque social centres. The other concerns the authorship of the attack on the military residence in Zaragoza, in which eleven people died—including five infants—and eighty-eight others were injured.
Information from ABC
Source: ABC