Abstract:
What is the appropriate form of reaction by a fragile, young democracy to a long-standing threat by separatist terrorists--one which predates the democratic central government itself? That is the question at the core of this case on the reaction of the Spanish government, in the years after the fall of dictator Francisco Franco, to the ETA Basque separatist movement. When an organized extra-legal anti-terrorist group begins itself to stage kidnappings and shootings of alleged terrorist ringleaders, a judicial crisis ensues. Links between police and the anti-terrorists, revealed in the press, prompt investigations. An aggressive judge believes the investigation should be pursued to high levels of the Spanish government. Elected officials, conscious of the key role the police and military play in supporting democratic government, must decide how far the investigation should proceed.
