The release from prison of a Basque separatist convicted of murdering
25 people, has drawn reaction from Spain's prime minister and victims'
advocates.
Jose Ignacio de Juana Chaos, a member of the
militant group ETA, left Aranjuez prison outside Madrid Saturday after
serving 21 years of a 3,000-year sentence.
Prime Minister
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Friday that feelings of contempt
for the ETA member are understandable, but he said the law must be
respected.
Victims associations have expressed outrage, not
only at Juana Chaos' release, but also at news that he plans to live in
the Basque town of San Sebastian, where ETA killed a police officer 40
years ago.
The separatist group has been blamed for more than
820 deaths in a campaign for an independent Basque state in northern
Spain and southwestern France.
Spain's penal code at the time of sentencing enabled Chaos to gain an early release from prison.
He
was arrested in 1987 and had been due for release in 2006, but was
sentenced to additional prison time after publishing articles deemed to
be terrorist in nature. He has never expressed remorse for the
killings.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.