Highlights

– José Iñaki de Juana Chaos released
– De Juana killed 25 but spent only 21 years in prison
– Release comes on 40th anniversary of ETA’s first murder

Over the weekend, an ETA member responsible for killing 25 people – including 12 policemen – walked out of prison a free man. José Iñaki (Ignacio) de Juana Chaos was released from prison after just 21 years behind bars, sparking outrage from families of the victims. De Juana Chaos was sentenced to some 3,000 years in prison for a total of 11 attacks but, under the penal code in force at the time, the maximum time he could serve was 30 years. Earning time off for good behavior, he had been due to be released in 2006, but a court then sentenced him to 12 more years after he wrote a newspaper article deemed a terrorist threat.

By coincidence, the release of Jose Ignacio de Juana Chaos came on the 40th anniversary of ETA’s first targeted killing, when a high-ranking police commander was shot outside his home in San Sebastian.

To date, ETA, officially known as the Euskadi ta Askatasuna, or Basque Homeland and Freedom, is blamed for the deaths of over 800 people in its campaign of bombings and shootings to carve a Basque homeland out of parts of northern Spain and southwestern France. We expect the recent discharge of De Juana to reinvigorate ETA’s campaign, despite the outrage and protests demonstrated by victims’ rights organizations.

De Juana Chaos, Leader of “Madrid Commandos”

Jose Ignacio de Juana Chaos began fighting for Basque independence in 1983 after he left the Basque Guardia Civil to join with ETA’s paramilitary group in France. By 1986, De Juana was already the leader of the “Madrid Commando,” a close-knit group of terrorists responsible for attacking targets in the Madrid area. De Juana was in charge of choosing the victims and organizing the attacks.

Throughout 1985 and 1986, De Juana orchestrated a number of high-profile attacks that resulted in numerous police officer deaths. In April 1986, De Juana’s group detonated a car bomb that killed five policemen guarding foreign embassies in Madrid. Two months later, De Juana’s Madrid Commandos machine-gunned down Commander Ricardo Saenz de Ynestrillas, along with a lieutenant colonel and another soldier. His most high-profile attack, however, was the July 14, 1986 bombing that left 12 policemen in training dead and another 45 wounded.

Association of the Victims of Torture Outraged

The release of De Juana Chaos was met with a wave of protests throughout Madrid by victims’ rights organizations. Despite having originally been sentenced to over 3,000 years in prison, Spain’s legal code at the time permitted a maximum of 30 years imprisonment for acts of terrorism. As such, De Juana managed to gain release after a mere 21 years in prison because of good behavior.

The Association of the Victims of Torture, families of those affected by ETA atrocities, denounced the decision by the Supreme Court and the Spanish government to not only permit him to leave prison early but also to move back to San Sebastian, where three widows of De Juana’s victims now live. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero voiced ‘contempt’ for De Juana Chaos, but emphasized that the law that allowed him to leave prison ‘must be respected.’

Outlook

With the permanent ceasefire instituted by ETA officially recanted, we anticipate continued sporadic bombings in the near to mid-term. While the Zapatero government has appeared to take a more conciliatory approach towards ETA – permitting De Juana Chaos to go under house arrest to avoid his martyrdom – we do not anticipate any major breakthroughs between ETA’s disbanded political wing and the Spanish government. As previously stated, ETA will continue to perpetrate attacks, often with advance warning to avoid civilian casualties, in the near to mid-term. Moreover, offices of the ruling Socialist party will remain the most likely target in the near-term.