Hasier Arraiz Explained

Office:President of Sortu
Termstart:23 February 2013
Termend:2 July 2016
Constituency1:Álava
Termstart1:20 November 2012
Termend1:26 May 2016
Birth Date:13 June 1973
Alma Mater:University of the Basque Country
Occupation:Politician
Office1:Member of the Basque Parliament
Predecessor:Office established
Successor:Office abolished

Hasier Arraiz Barbadillo (born 13 June 1973) is a Spanish politician from the Basque Country. He was the first president of Sortu, and a member of the Basque Parliament.

Early life

Arraiz was born on 13 June 1973 in Gasteiz.[1] He went on to study romance studies at the University of the Basque Country.[2] Having participated in youth groups against the military in Gasteiz, in 1997 he was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for military draft evasion. He was pardoned a year later.

Political career

Early career

In his youth, Arraiz was a member of Jarrai,[3] a youth organisation of the Abertzale left that has since been banned as a terrorist group. He was a candidate for Euskal Herritarrok in the constituency of Álava in the regional elections of the Basque Country in 1998 and in 2001. In 1998 he was a deputy candidate,[4] and in 2001 was sixth on the party list.[5]

Batasuna and EH Bildu

In January 2007, he was briefly detained after refusing to identify himself to police officers when a group of Jarrai supporters were arrested, but was released without charge shortly afterwards.[6] Later that year, on 4 October 2007, he was detained again by the National Police Corps whilst participating in a meeting of the National Council of Batasuna in the town of Segura.[7] He spent two and a half years in pre-trial custody.[8]

In 2012 he was a candidate in the regional elections for EH Bildu, in the same constituency as previously of Álava, whilst still technically released on bail from the October 2007 incident.[9] He was elected on the EH Bildu ticket, and obtained his first political role.[10]

In 2015 Arraiz, acting as a spokesperson for EH Bildu, presented a bill to the Basque parliament laying the prerequisite legal foundations for a "consultation" on independence for the Basque Country.[11]

Sortu

On 23 February 2013 the Constituent Assembly of Sortu chose Arraiz as the first president of the party at their founding conference; he was the only candidate presented.[12] [13] Following his election, he called for union among Basque nationalist parties, claiming it was necessary to leave the "tired autonomic framework" behind.[14] He repeated this call in an interview with Radio Euskadi in July 2013.[15] He later opened the door to other organisations, such as unions and social movements, to join what he called an "accumulation of democratic forces" to put into effect a process to realise "the rights of the Basque Country as a nation".[16]

During Arraiz's presidency of Sortu, the ongoing case against him for the October 2007 incident continued, with the prosecutor of the Basque Country asking in February 2015 for Arraiz to be sentenced to six years in prison.[17]

In 2015, Arraiz caused controversy by saying it was the time to "checkmate" the Civil Guard, the Spanish military police force, that "they should leave the Basque Country now", and that the "only violence is that of the Spanish state".[18] In a press conference, Arraiz said that the Basque people were facing a "terrorist state" in the Spanish government.[19] A case was subsequently opened against him investigating whether the statements he made could have constituted incitement of terrorism.[20] A court found in June 2016 that his statements were not incitement of terrorism; the case was subsequently closed and archived.[21]

In February 2015, the public prosecutor declared that Arraiz was a member of the banned Basque separatist terrorist organisation ETA.[22] The case against Arraiz was subsequently delayed until 2016.[23]

In May 2016 he was banned by a judge from holding public office for his relationship with Batasuna, but avoided a prison sentence, after admitting having been a member of the ETA and apologising to its victims during the trial.[24] After leaving the Basque Parliament in May 2016, he left the leadership of Sortu during their process of "re-foundation" in July 2016, at which point the position of president was abolished.[25] [26]

Personal life

Arraiz is the father of two twin girls.[27] He lives in Donostia in the Basque Country.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hasier Arraiz Nueva Economía Fórum. www.nuevaeconomiaforum.org. 9 May 2020.
  2. Web site: Hasier Arraiz, un dirigente forjado durante la década de ilegalización. Telebista. Euskal Irrati. www.eitb.eus. es. 9 May 2020.
  3. News: Ubarretxena. Aitor. 23 February 2013. Hasier Arraiz, elegido primer presidente de Sortu. es. Hasier Arraiz, chosen as the first president of Sortu. El Periódico Extremadura. 9 May 2020.
  4. CERTIFICACIÓN comprensiva de las Candidaturas proclamadas ante la Junta Electoral del Territorio Histórico de Álava. 29 September 1998. Junta Electoral del Territorio Histórico de Álava. 4330. es, eu. 9 May 2020. Certification of the candidates declared to the Electoral Commission of the Historic Territory of Álava.
  5. Web site: CERTIFICACIÓN comprensiva de las Candidaturas presentadas ante la Junta Electoral del Territorio Histórico de Álava. 11 April 2001. Boletín Oficial del Pais Vasco. es. 9 May 2020.
  6. News: Gorospe. Pedro. 20 January 2007. Detenido el cuarto de los 23 integrantes de Jarrai condenados por el Tribunal Supremo. es. A quarter of the 23 members of Jarrai sentenced by the Supreme Court have been detained. El País. 9 May 2020. 1134-6582.
  7. News: 5 October 2007. Detenidos 23 miembros de Batasuna por orden de Garzón. es. 23 members of Batasuna are detained by order of Garzón. El Mundo. 9 May 2020.
  8. News: Ubarretxena. Aitor. 23 February 2013. Hasier Arraiz, elegido primer presidente de Sortu. es. Hasier Arraiz, chosen to be the first president of Sortu. El Periódico. San Sebastián. 9 May 2020.
  9. Web site: La mitad de los candidatos de EH Bildu "pertenece" a Batasuna. 4 October 2012. Libertad Digital. es. Half of the candidates of EH Bildu "belong" to Batasuna. 9 May 2020.
  10. Web site: Elecciones al Parlamento Vasco 2012 – Comunidad Autónoma de Euskadi. 11 May 2012. opendata.euskadi.eus. Basque Government. es. XLS/CSV. 9 May 2020. Relevant information is contained within the final electoral lists, which you can find in the archive file "ElecP12_c.xls".
  11. News: Kassam. Ashifa. 4 November 2015. Basque secessionists follow Catalans in push for independence. en-GB. The Guardian. 9 May 2020. 0261-3077.
  12. News: 23 February 2013. Lanzan nuevo partido vasco en España. es. A new Basque political party is launched in Spain. Yahoo News. Associated Press. 9 May 2020.
  13. News: 23 February 2013. Hasier Arraiz, ratificado presidente del Consejo Nacional de Sortu. es. Hasier Arraiz, ratified as president of the National Council of Sortu. Europa Press. Pamplona. 9 May 2020.
  14. Web site: Arraiz, presidente de Sortu, llama a la unión de los nacionalistas vascos. 23 February 2013. La Información. es. Arraiz, president of Sortu, calls for the union of Basque nationalist parties. 9 May 2020.
  15. Entrevista al presidente de Sortu, Hasier Arraiz. 9 May 2020. Radio Euskadi. 4 July 2013. es. Interview with the president of Sortu, Hasier Arraiz.
  16. News: Sortu sets out an "accumulation of forces" for "national rights". 7 July 2013. Sortu plantea una "acumulación de fuerzas" por los "derechos nacionales". es. El País. 9 May 2020. 1134-6582.
  17. News: 26 February 2015. El fiscal pide seis años de cárcel e inhabilitación para Hasier Arraiz. es. The prosecutor asks for six years of prison and a public office ban for Hasier Arraiz. EITB. 9 May 2020.
  18. News: 14 January 2015. Hasier Arraiz dice que la única violencia es la del Estado. es. Hasier Arraiz says that the only violence is that of the state. El País. Bilbao. 9 May 2020. 1134-6582.
  19. News: 12 January 2015. El presidente de Sortu amenaza: "Es el momento de que el pueblo vasco le dé jaque mate a la Guardia Civil". es. The president of Sortu threatens: "This is the moment in which the Basque people will checkmate the Civil Guard". Voz Pópuli. 9 May 2020.
  20. News: 14 January 2015. La Fiscalía investigará al presidente de Sortu por pedir que se dé 'jaque mate' a la Guardia Civil. es. The public prosecutor will investigate the president of Sortu for asking that the Civil Guard be "checkmated". El Mundo. Europa Press. Madrid. 9 May 2020.
  21. News: Ormazabal. Mikel. 23 June 2016. El Superior vasco archiva la causa contra Arraiz por pedir dar "jaque mate" a la Guardia Civil. es. The Supreme Court of the Basque Country archives the case against Arraiz for asking for the Guardia Civil to be "checkmated". El País. 9 May 2020. 1134-6582.
  22. News: 26 February 2015. Hasier Arraiz es un miembro de ETA, según la Fiscalía. es. Hasier Arraiz is a member of the ETA, according to the Public Prosecutor. La Tribuna del Pais Vasco. 9 May 2020.
  23. News: 29 September 2015. El juicio contra Arraiz por integración en ETA se retrasará al año próximo. es. The case against Arraiz for working with the ETA will be delayed until next year. El Mundo. EFE. Bilbao. 9 May 2020.
  24. News: Gorospe. Pedro. 9 May 2016. Hasier Arraiz asume su pertenencia a ETA y quiere reparar a las víctimas. es. Hasier Arraiz admits his membership of ETA and wants to make things right for the victims. El País. 9 May 2020. 1134-6582.
  25. News: Rioja Andueza. Iker. 25 May 2016. Arraiz renuncia a dirigir Sortu. es. Arraiz stops leading Sortu. El Mundo. 9 May 2020.
  26. News: Sola. Ramón. 17 June 2016. Sortu acomete su refundación con un nuevo equipo y asamblea abierta el 2J. es. Sortu finalises their "re-foundation" with a new team and an open assembly on 2 July. GARA. 9 May 2020.
  27. News: 3 March 2016. Arraiz lleva al Parlamento a sus hijas. es. Arraiz takes his children to Parliament. El Mundo. Bilbao. 9 May 2020.

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