The Basque Government’s decision to grant Henri Parot third-degree prison status has drawn immediate criticism from victims’ associations. A former ETA leader convicted of 39 murders and dozens of attempted attacks, Parot is set to leave Zubieta prison in Gipuzkoa after more than thirty years behind bars.
The Basque Department of Justice, led by María Jesús San José, confirmed the move following a unanimous recommendation from the prison’s Treatment Board. The decision is not final: the National Court’s prosecutor will review the case and may challenge it before the prison oversight judge. El Independiente reports that Parot received third-degree status on September 9, 2026, after serving 36 years following his arrest in April 1990. He had already spent time under a semi-liberty regime (Article 100.2) since July of the previous year.
Parot's cumulative sentences amounted to approximately 4,800 years in prison for murders, attempted murders, kidnappings, bombings, and ETA membership.
Now 67, Parot had permission to leave prison on weekdays for volunteer work and return each night. In 2025, he received a six-day leave after submitting a letter to the Treatment Board rejecting "all violence" and acknowledging the suffering caused by his actions. The judge noted that Parot had served more than three-quarters of his sentence, had no disciplinary sanctions, and had taken part in rehabilitation programs. Earlier short-term leaves passed without incident, and officials considered the risk of escape low. The current third-degree status is based on Article 83 and could allow greater freedom if Article 86 with electronic monitoring is applied, El Independiente reported.
Victims’ groups reject those arguments. The Colectivo de Víctimas del Terrorismo (Covite) called the move "fraudulent," citing Parot’s role in the Argala commando unit, which carried out some of ETA’s deadliest attacks. These included the 1987 Zaragoza Guardia Civil barracks bombing, which killed 11 people, five of them children. Covite’s president, Consuelo Ordóñez, said Parot has never shown genuine public remorse or broken with ETA’s ideology. She accused the Basque Government of acting in the interests of the abertzale left.
Parot was arrested in Seville in 1990 while leading ETA’s mobile commandos, which were responsible for a series of attacks over 12 years. His name became associated with the ‘doctrina Parot’, a legal precedent that extended prison terms for terrorists. The European Court of Human Rights overturned it in 2013, leading to the release of dozens of ETA members.
El Mundo reports that since 2021, the Basque Government has repeatedly applied Article 100.2 to former ETA leaders, including Parot, as an intermediate step toward more lenient prison regimes. The pattern has prompted ongoing accusations from victims' organizations of a 'hidden amnesty' and made third-degree status for former ETA members a politically sensitive issue in Spain.
The current third-degree status, granted under Article 100.2 of the Prison Regulations, often precedes more flexible regimes. Covite warns that such measures can quickly lead to full parole under Article 86, further reducing time served for serious crimes. The group argues that written statements and general condemnations of violence do not justify leniency in cases involving mass murder and terror.
Spain’s approach to ETA prisoners has changed since prison powers were transferred to the Basque Government. Supporters say reintegration and rehabilitation matter for social peace, while critics see concessions that undermine justice for victims. The Parot case reflects deep divisions in Spanish society over how to address ETA’s violent legacy. Even amid public outrage, the government’s willingness to relax prison conditions for high-profile convicts points to a political calculation, not a move toward reconciliation. With remorse remaining private and the wounds of the past unaddressed, these decisions will continue to provoke controversy and mistrust.
