Garzon suspends activities of Basque parties ANV, EHAK for 3 years

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Baltasar Garzón. Phoro: EFE

A Spanish judge on Friday barred two Basque nationalist parties from running in general elections next month, suspending their activities for three years.

Judge Baltasar Garzon of the Spanish High Court accused the two parties, Basque Nationalist Action (ANV) and the Communist Party of the Basque Lands (EHAK) of being linked to Batasuna.

Garzon's ruling orders authorities to shut down the parties' offices, freeze their bank accounts and, critically, cut off funding they receive from the government.

As Batasuna was declared illegal 2003 and cannot field candidates in elections, the judge's ruling means that no Basque left-wing pro-independence Basque
party will be represented in the March 9 voting for the Spanish parliament.

The Supreme Court has been presented with separate lawsuits from Spanish prosecutors asking it to outlaw these two parties altogether.

The Supreme Court outlawed Batasuna on grounds that it was part of ETA. To get around it Batasuna resurrected two little-known parties and had them field candidates.

The Communist Party of the Basque Lands won nine seats in the 75-member Basque regional parliament in 2005.

Basque Nationalist Action, took part in municipal elections last year. Though half its candidates were barred over alleged links to Batasuna, those
remaining won 337 seats in towns and villages in the Basque Country, and another 100 in neighboring Navarra.