EH Bildu

EH Bildu leader Arnaldo Otegi and Sortu leader Arkaitz Rodriguez cr Javier Etxezarreta (EFE)

In a historic declaration, left-independentist alliance EH Bildu has acknowledged the suffering caused by the actions of its former armed wing, Basque Homeland and Freedom (ETA), reports Dick Nichols.

As the battle for the right of Catalonia to vote on independence rages between the Spanish government in Madrid and the independence-oriented Catalan parliament in Barcelona, major developments have taken place in one of the most famous struggles for independence on the Iberian Peninsula — the Basque Country.

Basque independence activist Arnaldo Otegi has been banned from running as a candidate in an upcoming regional election in the Spanish-controlled Basque Country. An electoral authority ruled on August 24 that Otegi, who was released from jail in March, could not run as a candidate for left-wing Basque party EH Bildu due to a conviction of alleged links to terrorism.