The City Council said that granting third-degree status represents “a decision that cannot leave any democratic institution indifferent” and is especially painful for victims of terrorism. It also recalled that Henri Parot was sentenced to more than 4,800 years in prison for 39 murders and numerous attacks, “including the one carried out against the Civil Guard barracks in Zaragoza in 1987, in which 11 people were killed, five of them children.”
“ONE OF ETA’S CRUELEST CHAPTERS”
For the council, Parot’s criminal record represents “one of the cruellest chapters in ETA’s history,” and therefore considers that his release “must be examined with respect for the memory, dignity and justice owed to his victims.” It also says there is “an absence of unequivocal remorse for the crimes committed,” a circumstance that, in its view, makes this decision even more painful for the victims and their families.
For all these reasons, Zaragoza City Council has rejected the granting of third-degree prison status to Henri Parot, expressing “its solidarity with and support for” the victims of terrorism. It also opposed “the use of prison policy to satisfy EH Bildu at the expense of the memory, dignity and justice of ETA’s victims.”
“Zaragoza City Council’s plenary session demands an end to any agreement or pact with parties or political groups that do not condemn the murders committed by ETA and that include people convicted of terrorism offences on their electoral lists,” it concluded.
