Overview
- The Basque Government granted third-grade prison regimes to Juan Antonio Olarra Guridi and Xabier Zabalo Beitia on Thursday, May 21, 2026, which allows expanded time outside prison for work, family visits and supervised leaves.
- The victims' group COVITE called the decisions 'fraudulent' and demanded the resignation of Justice Minister María Jesús San José, saying the moves amount to a covert amnesty that ignores victims' need for public accountability.
- National courts have recently stepped in to revoke semiliberties and Article 100.2 flexibilizations for other ETA inmates, a pattern that signals growing judicial checks on the Basque administration's prison policy.
- Both prisoners serve their terms in Martutene prison and press reports note that, since the 2021 transfer of prison powers to the Basque government, authorities have granted dozens of third grades, roughly 61 conditional releases and fewer than 20 Article 100.2 semiliberties.
- The Prosecutor's Office has been urged to appeal these new third-grade decisions, which could lead to immediate court reviews and shape how treatment-based progressions are applied to ETA convicts going forward.