This file is a mirror of EUSKAL HERRIA JOURNAL by Basque Red Net.
Police controls are conducted in various ways, the most common being road controls and controls in a particular neighborhood or even of whole of villages. This last method involves massive police deployment in a specific zone over a period that on occasions last several days. The major feature of this type of control is its intimidatory effect on the local population. The police generally makes house-to-house inquiries, questioning the inhabitants about their neighbours and other residents. Often the local people are forced to leave their homes; driviers in the area are stopped, intimidated and made to identify themselves. Among a number of cases, the Residents' Association of the Amute neighborhood of Hondarribia, a town on the French-Spanish border, made an official complaint about such treatment. In March 1992, a fortnight-long control was endured by the population of Hernani, a town in the province of Gipuzkoa.
Road controls, stopping all or many of the cars travelling on the specific stretch of road, involve a number of police, several vehicles and dogs. Occassionally traffic signals are set up to inform drivers of the control, but usually a policeman simply orders the cars to stop. These controls may be either permanent or mobile, the most common being a mixture of the two. Most are set up at nightfall, last a long time and are manned by hooded policemen.
Together with the general objective of torture, such controls are clearly designed to intimidate the civil population.
Road controls seem to be on the increase. In 1992, and the first half of 1993, a number of people have claimed to have received ill treatment during controls. According to the testimony of victims on this kind of experience, force is often used, usually kicks, punches, slaps and similar methods. But psychological torture appears to be the most frequent feature. Victims are made to move some distance away from the road, facing away from the traffic. If several people have been stopped, they are separated so as to prevent visual and verbal communciation, so causing anxiety in the victims, who are unable to find out what is happening to their companions. They are then subjected to authentic interrogations, which can last up to several hours and generally involve humilliations, threats and insults. On several occasions, besides physical assault, victims have even been subjected to mock executions.
The violence of the situation experienced by the citizen stopped at a control creates a state of anxiety and insecurity which overcomes the individual's defence mechanisms. For some time after, most victims are very scared of having to undergo a similar experience.
As an example of the many cases on record, we shall refer to the accusations made in the Court of Gasteiz on November 27, 1992 by Aitor Sanpedro Lopez de Alda and Aitor Rojas Ibanez de Elorriaga. At 8:45 pm on November 25, 1992, these young men were stopped at a road control, manned by the Civl Guard, located between the towns of Marieta and Ozaeta in the province of Araba. The policemen ordered them to get out of their vehicle and asked to see their identification. After being body-searched, they were then made to stand with their haands behind their backs looking away from the road and were interrogated individually for more than an hour and a half, during which time they were punched, knocked to the ground, threatened with death and insulted. Before finally being allowed to go, they were ordered to turn around; four policemen standing opposite them shouldered arems and took aim, clearly imitating the action of a firing squad.
Source: Torturaren Aurkako Taldea.
