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Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación (Antiterrorist Liberation Groups) were death squads illegally set up by officials within the Spanish government to fight ETA. It was financed and protected by the Spanish Interior Ministry. A death squad is an extra-judicial group whose members execute or assassinate persons they believe to be politically unreliable or undesirable. ...
For other meanings of ETA, see Eta. ...
The Kingdom of Spain or Spain (Spanish and Galician: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ...
History
GAL operated mainly in the Basque Country, mostly on the French side of the border, but kidnapping, tortures and economic crimes were also carried out in other parts of Spain. The victims were both members and supporters of ETA, and people unconnected to terrorism. The groups were active from 1984 to 1986 committing 23 murders. This period is often referred to as part of "La guerra sucia" (The dirty war) in Spanish history. This article is about the traditional Basque domain. ...
The French Republic or France (French: République française or France) is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. ...
Terrorism refers to the use of violence for the purpose of achieving a political, religious, or ideological goal. ...
1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A Dirty War (in Spanish: Guerra Sucia) is a program of violent repression of rebels and dissidents conducted by government forces, characterized by the use of disappearances, torture, murder, and other covert practices, massive violations of human and civil rights, and often including innocent bystanders among its victims. ...
This is the history of Spain. ...
The kidnapping and later murder of Joxe Antonio Lasa and Joxe Ignacio Zabala in October 1983 and the kidnapping of Segundo Marey in 1984, marked the beginning of the group. 1983 is an integer and composite number that represents a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Suspicions that Felipe González, then Prime Minister of Spain, was allegedly involved with the GAL, influenced the campaign for the elections of 1996 in which Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) was surpassed by José María Aznar's People's Party (PP) for the first time. Felipe González then resigned as leader of the party. With the exception of Ricardo García Damborenea, PSOE leaders have never acknowledged responsibility for the GAL, and have condemned their crimes verbally. González himself has never been charged with a GAL offence, but he's asked publicly for pardon for his former subordinates. In general, PSOE leaders refuse to treat ETA and GAL crimes in the same way. Aznar's government was generous in granting pardons to Socialists convicted of GAL crimes. Felipe González Márquez born March 5, 1942 in Seville became General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997 and Prime Minister from 1982 to 1996. ...
The President of the Government (Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno), or Prime Minister, of Spain is the Spanish head of government. ...
Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 3, 1996. ...
The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ...
José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was President of Spain (styled Presidente del Gobierno from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ...
The Peoples Party, Popular Party, or Populist Party, is any of several political parties claiming to speak for the people; see Populism. ...
In the late 1980s, the French government adopted a harsher attitude towards Basque refugees, denying the status of political refugee to new applicants, and facilitating extraditions asked for by Spanish judges. This evolution weakened ETA's veterans, but settled a dangerous precedent, proving that the administration of a country member of EEC could shift their policy fulfilling demands of a terrorist group. This contradicted one argument the Spanish government had used to refuse to negotiate with ETA. It is believed that the GAL were a major factor in ensuring ETA's survival into the 1990s and beyond, helping to preserve the image of an authoritarian state in war against the Basque people. Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ...
Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her...
Power lines leading to a trash dump hover just overhead in El Carpio, a Nicaraguan refugee camp in Costa Rica Under international law, a refugee is a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her...
Extradition is a formal process by which a criminal suspect held by one government is handed over to another government for trial or, if the suspect has already been tried and found guilty, to serve his or her sentence. ...
Convict GAL members The actual attacks were carried by members of the Spanish Policía Nacional or French thugs. The word thug: A thug: an aggressive criminal. ...
Some of the members of the GAL are:
- José Barrionuevo Peña, minister of Interior.
- Rafael Vera, director for the Security of the State.
- Ricardo García Damborenea, secretary general of PSE in Biscay.
- Francisco Álvarez, Antiterrorist Fight Czar.
- Miguel Planchuelo, chief for the Police Information Brigade of Bilbao.
- José Amedo Fouce, police chief.
- Julián Sancristóbal gobernador civil (representative of the Spanish government) in Biscay.
Similar groups Members of Batasuna call "green GAL" to an alleged group of the Guardia Civil (they wear green uniforms) based in the Intxaurrondo barracks at San Sebastián, who would have attacked ETA members illegally. Batasuna (Unity) is a Basque political party based mainly in Spain but with a French presence, which is presumed to be associated with the Basque separatist armed group ETA. Their relation is similar to that of Northern Irelands Sinn Féin and the IRA. History and outline The party was...
See Guardia Civil for other meanings of the phrase The Guardia Civil is a Spanish police force with both military and civilian functions. ...
Geography > Europe > Spain > Basque Country > Guipúzcoa San Sebastián with sailboats San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) is the capital city of the province of Guipúzcoa, in the Spanish autonomous community of Basque Country. ...
External links - The stain of Spain's dirty war (Irish Democrat) (http://www.irishdemocrat.co.uk/news/2001/dirty-war/)
Books - Dirty War, Clean Hands -- ETA, the GAL and Spanish Democracy by Paddy Woodworth - ISBN 0-300-09750-6
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