GUILTY! FRANCE GETS THE VERDICT IT SOUGHT

CELTIC LEAGUE - PRESS INFORMATION


GUILTY! FRANCE GETS THE VERDICT IT SOUGHT


Those involved in the trial at Plevin in Brittany have been sentenced.
The charges centred around an alleged armed conspiracy and theft of explosives. It was complicated by assertions of a criminal conspiracy between Bretons and Basques.

The trial has been surrounded by controversy from the outset with a great delay in bringing the issues to court and also with allegations that police evidence was in many instances questionable.

Many in Brittany and also those who have followed the trial in the other Celtic countries believe with some justification that the court proceedings were prejudiced against the accused from the outset and that the French State intended nothing other than a verdict of guilt.

The French judicial system has always been less than impartial when it comes to issues involving Breton nationalists and this occasion proved no exception!

This was less a trial about arms and alleged wrong-doing but more a signal to nationalists that their aspirations will always be ruthlessly crushed.

Details of the sentences supplied to us by the Breton prisoners support group, CARB, are set out below (the figure in brackets is the sentence requested by the Prosecution. It is preceded by the actual sentence). There is also an exclusion order set on the Basque defendants on completion of sentence

The Basques convicted :

-- Chapartegui : 20 (30) imprisonment years;
-- Miren Perurena Pascual: 18 (25) years,
-- Jon Bienzobas Arreche: 18 (22) years,
-- Benito Martinez Vergara: 16 (18) years,
-- Francisco Segurola Mayoz: 15 (15) years.

The Bretons convicted:

-- Richard Le Faucheux not guilty (not guilty);
-- Denis Riou, (Claimed by the prosecution to be leader of the ARB) 7 years(11);
-- Gérard Bernard: 6 years (8);
-- Charlie Grall: 6 years (6);
-- Bertrand Grimault: 2 years (5).

5 Bretons already sentenced in March 2004 received concurrent sentences

-- Christian Georgeault: 6 years (6),
-- Pascal Laizé: 4 years (5),
-- Stéphane Philippe: 4 years (5),
-- Alain Solé: 4 years (5),
-- Arno Vannier: 4 years (4).

Obviously the hardship of these sentences will also be inflicted on the families of those imprisoned. There is a prisoners support group in Brittany SKOAZELL VREIZH. It desperately needs funds at present.
Any group or individual who can help should contact them directly
- address below;

Skoazell Vreizh / Breton Aid
Committee for the aid to families of Breton political detainees

3, rue Aristide Briand
F-44350 Guérande - Brittany via France
Tel: +33 2.40.42.92.94
Fax: +33 2.40.24.81.38

info@skoazell-vreizh.org
http://www.skoazell-vreizh.org/

J B Moffatt
Secretary General
Celtic League

02/07/05

The Celtic League has branches in the six Celtic Countries of the western British Isles and Brittany. It works to promote cooperation between these countries and campaigns on a broad range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It targets human rights abuse and monitors all military activity within these areas.

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