Parot Doctrine prisoners released: ETA member Juan Píriz López and a serial rapist ANOTHER member of Basque terrorist cell ETA, as well as a serial rapist who has not been rehabilitated, have been released from prison as a result of the Strasbourg verdict overturning the so-called Parot Doctrine. The Doctrine reduces early release by applying good behaviour time credit to the actual sentence – often hundreds or even thousands of years – rather than to the custodial sentence to be served, which is always a maximum of 30 years. But now, early-release credit will be applied to the 30-year term, meaning many prisoners – particularly at least 55 members of ETA – have already been inside for longer than they would have been if the Doctrine had not been used. As a result, all those who are eligible are now applying for release. Two high-profile ETA terrorists have already been set free – Antonio Troitiño, now living in London, and Inés del Río Prada, both former members of the bloodthirsty Madrid Commando and responsible for a series of bombings in the mid-1980s which killed 24 people. Juan Manuel Píriz López is due out, having served 29 years and eight months, although he would have been freed in four months in any case, even without any good behaviour early release. And Josefa Mercedes Ernaga, sentenced to over 900 years for bombing the hypermarket Hipercor in Barcelona. One man lost his wife and all his children in the blast, going from being a happy family man with a full house to a widower living alone, and is still in counselling and on medication. Píriz López has just left the prison in Algeciras (Cádiz), four years after he would have done if the Doctrine had not been applied. He was sentenced to 61 years and two days for possession of arms and belonging to a terrorist organisation, as well as for the murder of former ETA militant Mikel Solau Ángulo, whom he shot in the head in front of his wife and children in 1984. Where ETA members defected, or chose to leave the terrorist organisation, they would be killed due to their insider knowledge and the possibility of this becoming public. In the event the application of the Parot Doctrine has meant prisoners spent longer in custody than they would otherwise have done, they are entitled to compensation, but in most cases will not receive this. Criminals in Spain are always ordered to pay compensation to their victims, unlike in the laws of other European countries where compensation relates to civil law only and a criminal sentence would cancel this out. In the case of Del Río Prada, the 30,000 euros in compensation she would be owed for being in jail longer than she would had the Parot Doctrine not been used will merely be offset against the nine million euros she was ordered to pay to the immediate family members of the 24 people she killed. This is likely to be the case with practically all prisoners entitled to indemnity under the ECHR ruling. Spanish president Mariano Rajoy has announced he will be joining the Victims of Terrorism Association in their protest march against the ECHR verdict, since he disagrees with the ruling even though Spain is morally – if not legally – obliged to apply it. Former PP president of the Spanish government, José María Aznar, has announced he will not be attending, since he does not want the focus to be on him, but on the Association and their message. Source: Think Spain
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 16:08:06 +0000
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