The Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court has decided to endorse the ETA prisoner, as confirmed by sources from the public ministry. Bienzobas was convicted of the murders of Rafael San Sebastián Flechoso, brother of an Iberduero executive with whom he was mistaken, and of the former president of the Constitutional Court Francisco Tomás y Valiente, in 1990 and 1996 respectively. The public ministry’s decision not to appeal the agreement of Imanol Pradales’ Executive will allow Bienzobas to leave prison daily, where he will only have to return to sleep from Monday to Thursday.
Karaka’s sentences total 266 years in prison, although the legislation sets a maximum of 30 years of effective compliance, which will occur on November 24. This fact is the main argument put forward by the Prosecutor’s Office for not opposing the semi-freedom of the ETA member, according to the same sources. Another is that last year Bienzobas began participating in restorative justice workshops in which he has met with victims of terrorism. The objective of these meetings is for the latter to obtain reparation, at least symbolic, for the damage suffered and, at the same time, facilitate the reintegration of the inmates, making them aware of the pain they have caused.
The Prosecutor’s Office also values that the report prepared by the prison psychologist highlights that the ETA member has shown himself to be “collaborative and receptive to the analysis of personal, social and family factors related directly or indirectly to his criminal activity.” Furthermore, he considers it positive that he is in the prison’s respect module, intended for inmates with little conflict, and that he accepts “well the institutional regulations and the specific regulations of this type of modules, with a positive assessment.” Likewise, it highlights that Karaka has enjoyed several exit permits without incident.
When the Department of Justice, headed by the socialist María Jesús San José, agreed last Monday to grant semi-freedom to Bienzobas, it also highlighted that the ETA maintains “good behavior” in prison – where he has had a “favorable evolution after periods of maladjustment”, according to prison reports – and that he had a “proven job offer” to start working when he began to enjoy the open regime, as well as family support. The Basque Government also highlighted that it was paying the civil liability to which he was sentenced, that he maintained a “motivation favorable to personal development” and that he had presented several handwritten letters of repentance in which he asked for forgiveness from his victims.
In one of these handwritten letters, Karaka claims to be aware that “the actions that I personally committed caused very serious and irreparable consequences to the families of Francisco Tomás y Valiente and Rafael San Sebastián Flechoso.” And he adds: “I wish this suffering had not occurred. I personally assume responsibility for these losses, for which I want to express all my respect, that I feel your pain and also my commitment in this sense to heal the damage caused as much as possible,” he adds in his letter. Bienzobas, who in the last year has enjoyed an exit permit, assures that he has taken the step of asking for forgiveness in writing to “be able to rebuild the broken bridges within our society to be able to advance in peaceful and democratic coexistence.”
When the granting of semi-freedom to Karaka became known, the Collective of Victims of Terrorism (Covite) released a harsh statement in which it described the decision as “fraudulent.” Its president, Consuelo Ordóñez, sister of the PP councilor in San Sebastián Gregorio Ordóñez, murdered by ETA in 1995, also questioned the credibility of the prisoner’s forgiveness texts: “We victims do not have to believe what is said in those letters. An act of faith cannot be required of us. As long as there is no public repentance, clear and supported by facts, we have no reason to give credibility to those writings written with the sole purpose of obtaining the semi-freedom,” Ordóñez insisted.
