The Penal Chamber of the National Court has ordered the interrogation of three ETA members for the attack carried out in Sangüesa (Navarra) in May 2003, in which two policemen were killed and another officer and a Telefónica employee were injured. The court has instructed the investigating judge, Francisco de Jorge, to take statements as suspects from Jon Lizarribar, Gurutz Aguirresarobe, and Miren Itxaso Zaldúa. This case was reactivated in 2022 to investigate the involvement of former ETA leaders in the crime, but the magistrate concluded the investigation in January of this year without charging anyone. The victims’ organizations Dignidad y Justicia and the Association of Victims of Terrorism (AVT) appealed the decision of the investigating judge, as they had not been interrogated despite the previous direction of the case against them.
The Chamber considers, therefore, that these three terrorists – all of them previously convicted for their involvement with ETA – should be interrogated, as there is an intelligence report from anti-terrorism forces that includes evidence against them. The summary on the Sangüesa attack was reactivated in April 2022, when Judge Alejandro Abascal admitted a lawsuit filed by Dignidad y Justicia against eight former leaders of the terrorist group. The judge also focused on two other ETA members, Garikoitz Arruarte and Gorka Lorán, as the alleged material authors of the murder of the two policemen. However, in January 2024, Judge Francisco de Jorge concluded the investigation without charging anyone, citing lack of sufficient evidence to implicate Arruarte and Lorán and rejecting the possibility of attributing indirect authorship to former ETA leaders.
In his ruling, De Jorge explained that the responsibility for the attack in Sangüesa could not be attributed as indirect authorship to the ETA leadership, as it did not fall within their specific orders. Now, the Penal Chamber of the National Court has ordered a new interrogation. The AVT and Dignidad y Justicia have presented their requests for prison sentences for six suspects accused of organizing around 120 ‘ongi etorris’, honoring former ETA prisoners between 2016 and 2020. The AVT is seeking nine years in prison for the six defendants, including former ETA members and representatives of political organizations related to the terrorist group. Dignidad y Justicia is seeking eight years and eight months of imprisonment for them.
The case highlights the ongoing efforts to seek justice for the victims of terrorism and hold those responsible accountable. The reactivation of the investigation and the court’s decision to order interrogations demonstrate a commitment to pursuing justice in these cases. The involvement of former ETA leaders in the Sangüesa attack has raised questions about their role in the crime and their responsibility for the violence perpetrated by the terrorist group. The requests for prison sentences for those accused of organizing ‘ongi etorris’ events also emphasize the importance of addressing the legacy of terrorism and ensuring that those who support or glorify violence are held accountable.
The judicial process surrounding these cases reflects the ongoing challenges faced in addressing terrorism and its impact on society. The efforts of victims’ organizations and prosecutors to seek justice and hold perpetrators accountable are crucial in ensuring that the victims are not forgotten and that those responsible for acts of terrorism are held accountable. The decision to reevaluate the investigation and order new interrogations is a step towards securing justice for the victims of the Sangüesa attack and addressing the legacy of terrorism in Spain.
