euskalkultura.eus

EUSKAL KULTURA. IBO (International Basque Organization for Human Rights), organización de defensa de los derechos individuales y colectivos de los vascos, con base en California, ha hecho público un comunicado en el que señala su preocupación ante el hecho de que la Universidad de Georgetown anunciara que José María Aznar guiará durante el semestre de otoño de este año seminarios sobre Política Europea y Economía, y que esta misma universidad jesuita galardonó el pasado enero al entonces presidente español con la Medalla de Honor de la entidad, que ha de concedida "por servicio y dedicación a los fines y objetivos de la Universidad".

Estimando que José María Aznar no cumple esas condiciones, IBO promueve el envío de e-mails y misivas a John DeGioia, presidente de la Universidad, al objeto de manifestar extrañeza y preocupación por acoger como profesor al ex mandatario español, dado que "el señor Aznar y su partido político, el Partido Popular, han sido responsables de reiteradas violaciones de los derechos humanos y civiles en el País Vasco. La manipulación y censura de prensa han sido indisimulada y frecuentemente utilizadas bajo el mandato del señor Aznar, por lo que deseamos llamar su atención sobre estas cuestiones de modo que caiga en la cuenta de cuál es la manera de hacer política que el señor Aznar enseñará ante estudiantes y profesores en la Universidad".

La entidad vasco norteamericana destaca, entre otros abusos alentados o llevados a cabo bajo la responsabilidad política de José María Aznar, la clausura del único diario publicado en el País Vasco en lengua vasca "bajo la falsa acusación de que había sido fundado con dinero proveniente de la organización separatista ETA", el arresto y la tortura física de su director, Martxelo Otamendi, a manos de la Guardia Civil, señalando que las denuncias de Otamendi fueron respaldadas por un reciente informe del inspector especial de las Naciones Unidas contra la Tortura, señor Theo van Boven, informe contra el que reaccionó agresivamente el gobierno del señor Aznar.

Argumenta IBO que gobiernos o representantes de gobiernos vinculados a la represión de la libertad de expresión y la tortura no deberían tener la posibilidad de enseñar a futuros políticos, diplomáticos o agentes al servicio de la comunidad. IBO recuerda asimismo el apoyo y la responsabilidad de Aznar en el cierre de otros dos medios de prensa y la ilegalización de tres partidos políticos de izquierda.

IBO se declara independiente y no vinculada a partido político alguno y se muestra absolutamente 'contraria al uso de la violencia en el País Vasco, sea quien sea quien la practique', al tiempo que apoya el derecho de todos los puntos de vista a ser escuchados si es que se desea resolver el conflicto entre el País Vasco y el gobierno español. Señala en ese punto la incongruencia del señor Aznar que, mientras pregona soluciones dialogadas en el caso de israelíes y palestinos, rechaza cualquier atisbo de negociación en el caso vasco.

Continúa recordando la antigüedad del Pueblo Vasco en Europa y los ataques que su lengua y su cultura han sufrido desde épocas remotas hasta el propio bombardeo de Gernika y la época del general Franco. Sostiene que personas como José María Aznar siempre han pretendido que el conflicto vasco quedara reducido a un conflicto interno de España, de manera que la comunidad internacional no interfiriera. "Si la Universidad permite al señor Aznar impartir clase, él seguirá minimizando el conflicto en el País Vasco y negando incluso, como hace, que exista conflicto histórico o político vasco alguno".

La carta concluye recordando al presidente de la Universidad de Georgetown el carácter de institución jesuita de la institución académica y el carácter de euskaldunes de dos de las principales figuras de la Compañía de Jesús, San Ignacio de Loyola y San Francisco Javier, si bien sus nombres llegan hasta nosotros como 'españoles' y no por error, sino intencionadamente, puesto que una práctica y objetivo principal de la política española ha sido el negar y ocultar el origen y las características culturales diferenciadas de los vascos. Creemos que una organización jesuítica --finaliza la misiva-- debería hacer todo lo posible por no favorecer la distorsión de la situación vasca que realiza y presenta el señor Aznar y evitar que los puntos de vista culturales y políticos vascos no se falsean con la colaboración de una entidad de la Compañía de Jesús.

Enlaces relacionados

Informe de las Naciones Unidas sobre Tortura en España (pdf)
Commission of Human Rights (6 February 2004)

Nombramiento de José María Aznar como 'Distingued Scholar'
Aznar Joins Georgetown Community

Sitio web de IBO
www.euskojustice.org


Texto de la campaña:

Cut and paste this message to the President of Georgetown, or feel free to write your own.

Dear Mr. DeGioia,

I am concerned that your University will be hosting the ex-Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar, as a Distinguished Scholar. Mr. Aznar and his political party, Partido Popular, have been responsible for many human and civil rights violations in the Basque region. Manipulation and censorship of the press were frequent and blatantly used under Mr. Aznar's term. We urge you to look into these matters and be aware of Mr. Aznar's particular brand of politics that will be taught to your students and faculty.

Sincerely,

(insert your name)

Mail to:
Georgetown University
Attn: President John J. DeGioia
204 Healy Hall
37th & O Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20057
president@georgetown.edu


(texto original de la carta remitida al presidente de la Universidad de Georgetown)

IBO's letter to Georgetown University:

Georgetown University
Attn: President John J. DeGioia
204 Healy Hall
37th & O Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20057


Dear President DeGioia:

We are writing on behalf of the membership of the International Basque Organization For Human Rights to express our deep regret that you have chosen to hire former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar as a lecturer at your University. As an organization that seeks to bring attention to the human rights abuses in the Basque Country within Spain, we have witnessed the former Prime Minister's government shut down the only newspaper in the Basque Country to publish in the Basque language, "Egunkaria" on the false basis that the newspaper was funded by the Basque separatist organization "ETA". The newspaper was in fact funded, by all accounts of which we are aware, with public monies. We suspect the true reason it was shut down by the Spanish government may be that the newspaper's editor, Martxelo Otamendi, published an interview with members of ETA. Sometime after the paper was shut down, Mr. Otamendi was arrested and by his account physically tortured by the Spanish Guardia Civil over several days. Mr. Otamendi's account of torture has been supported by the recent report of the U.N. Special Rapporteur against Torture, Mr. Theo van Boven, on the existence of torture in present day Spain. Not surprisingly, Mr. Aznar's government aggressively attacked the report, but it speaks for itself and we would highly recommend your University read the report to judge the human rights abuses reported therein for yourselves. The report is available at:
www.unhchr.ch/pdf/chr60/56add2AV.pdf for your review.

Clearly governments, or their representatives, which engage in repression of freedom of speech and torture have no place lecturing or molding future politicians, ambassadors, foreign service officers or others who will represent this country both at home and abroad. Consequently, we would ask you to seriously reconsider your decision to bring Mr. Aznar to Georgetown University. While time does not permit us to go into many details, his government was responsible for closing two other Basque language newspapers prior to closing Egunkaria and it has also by federal legislation declared three left wing Basque nationalist parties illegal. While the International Basque Organization For Human Rights does not support or oppose any political party in the Basque Country and condemns all violence perpetrated by anyone there, clearly all political views in the Basque Country must be heard if there is going to be any hope of resolving the conflict between the Basque Country and the Spanish government without continuing violence. While Mr. Aznar has repeatedly endorsed negotiations between the Israeli's and Palestinians, he has consistently maintained a double standard by refusing any negotiations whatsoever with militant Basque nationalists. Again, we believe such a foreign leader has no place, or in fact moral authority, to lecture at a highly esteemed institution such as Georgetown and we would ask you to reconsider.

As you might be aware, the Basques are generally believed to be Europe's first people, having inhabited the Basque Country for as much as 20,000 to 40,000 years. They have a language unrelated to any other, which even predates the Indo European languages, and a rich culture. Sadly, their culture has been under attack since at least the time of the Roman Empire and certainly since the rise of Francisco Franco. The current conflict in fact dates to the bombing of Guernica and the Spanish Civil War, yet the world has little understanding of that fact and even less interest in helping to resolve the conflict with international intervention such as has occurred in Northern Ireland. Individuals such as Mr. Aznar and his political party, the "Partido Popular" have done their utmost to ensure that the world community never intervenes in this conflict so that Spain can repress any Basque aspirations of independence. If your institution allows Mr. Aznar to lecture, he will only continue to minimize the conflict in the Basque Country and, we assure you, deny that a political or historical conflict even exists. There is no place for such intentional distortions of world affairs in U.S. universities.

We are aware that your University is a Jesuit Institution. Many of us in the International Basque Organization For Human Rights are Catholic and familiar with the history of the Church and its organizations. While you may be aware of this, we would like to close by reminding you that the Basque culture has produced two very important figures in the history of the Jesuits. Two of the original five members of the Society of Jesus were Basques from Guipuzcoa and Navarra. Inigo "Ignatius" Loyola Onaz, the founder of the Jesuits, and Francis Xavier Jasso, the great missionary, were both speakers of the Basque language and extraordinary Catholics. They are both however, often referred to as Spaniards although not by mistake. Even in recorded history, the Spanish government has done a great deal to try and deny Basques their true origin and culture. We believe a Jesuit organization would want to do everything possible, and must, to protect against further distortions of the situation in the Basque Country by Mr. Aznar and to see that the Basque culture and political point of view is not trampled with the help of a Jesuit organization. As the Catholic Church has frequently stated in sermons we are all familiar with, "There will be peace in the world when there is justice."

International Basque Organization For Human Rights,
by Cathleen Acheritogaray and Mark J. Guerricaechebarria