Basque Leader Receives 10-Year Sentence

Posted September 16th, 2011 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment

A Spanish court has sentenced a Basque separatist leader to 10 years in prison for trying to rebuild the banned political wing of the militant group ETA.

The National Court handed down the sentence Friday for Arnaldo Otegi.

Otegi had been in prison since 2009 awaiting trial and sentencing for secretly plotting to rebuild Batasuna.

Four other pro-Basque suspects also received sentences Friday.

Batasuna was banned in 2003 because of its supposed links with ETA.

ETA has killed more than 820 people in its four-decade-long campaign for Basque independence in northern Spain and southern France. The armed group declared a cease-fire in January. But the Spanish government rejected it, saying ETA made no pledge to disarm.

Spain, the European Union and the United States regard ETA as a terrorist group.