Spain: Ex-ETA terrorists linked to murders pull out of elections amid controversy

OVIEDO, Spain

Seven former ETA terrorists, all convicted for their involvement in murders, announced Tuesday that they would pull out of upcoming Basque Country elections in Spain.

In a statement to the Basque daily Naiz, the aspiring politicians said they were withdrawing their candidacies “so that neither our words nor our actions will add the slightest suffering to what has already happened.”

The announcement that they were running for office in the upcoming elections had been met with horror by the families of many victims.

The seven politicians were all members of the EH Bildu party, which includes dozens of politicians who were former ETA members, including its leader Arnaldo Otegi.

However, these seven were all convicted for direct assassinations or having aided in murders while they belonged to the Basque nationalist group that killed nearly 900 people between 1961 and 2010.

In their statement, they insisted that EH Bildu was not “aiming to legitimize ETA.”

“We believe EH Bildu was founded in different times as an instrument to achieve sovereignty, peace and freedom, to build a better country. And that is our commitment too,” said the seven politicians.

Their move was applauded across many sectors of Spanish society.

“Democracy, dignity and decency have triumphed despite Pedro Sanchez, who chose to leave Spaniards alone. We have taken the first step. Now let’s take the next,” said conservative Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo, slamming Spain’s prime minister for even letting it happen.

Meanwhile, Ione Belarra, head of the leftwing party Unidas Podemos, called the move “an important step” but also accused conservative parties of manipulating past suffering to win votes in elections.

The Collective of Victims of Terrorism also lauded the announcement despite labeling the politicians as cynical. “It’s outrageous that those who seeded hatred into public life are now preaching peace and coexistence. We certainly don't owe our current peace to murderers.”

The group also denounced that 37 members of EH Bildu who were convicted for belonging to ETA remain on the electoral lists.

On May 28, regional and municipal elections will take place in several Spanish regions, including the Basque Country.