On  January 27th, the Navarran and Spanish governments close the floodgate of Itoitz dam and so the dam slowly starts filling up. This takes place without the application of the Emergency Plan which should have been in place. The "Coordinadora" against Itoitz denounces the Government in court.
                
The melting of snow and heavy rains provoke a sudden rise of the dam's level, reaching a height above 510 (which is past the filling level allowed ). The drains, very small for the amount of water to be emptied, get partially blocked with tree trunks and so the water rises and rises without control.
                
In Itoitz village the water practically reaches the houses and inhabitants and cattle have to be temporarily moved out. The water cuts the village off by flooding the access roads. The village remains isolated for three days.
                
The first landslides can be seen in several areas around the dam's base and bordering zones, but are quickly removed by the dam's workers. The risks of acatastrophe, as predicted by experts, are confirmed.

VOLUNTARY CONFINEMENT AND PROTEST DEMONSTRATION IN AGOITZ.
                 
Agoitz is a town of 3.000 inhabitants located downstream the dam. It would be the first affected in the case of a catastrophe. Having observed the total lack of control of the dam when the filling tests began, the "Assembly of citizens affected by Itoitz dam" take part in a two week voluntary confinement in Agoitz's town hall, as a way to demand a new and independent geological study of the safety of the dam.
         
This protest confinement ends on February 16th with a demonstration round the streets of Agoitz of about 3.000 people.

NOTIFICATION OF STRASBOURG HIGH COURT.
                  
While people are voluntarily confined, it is known that the Strasbourg European Tribunal of Human Rights has decided to proceed with a complaint made by the "Coordinadora" against Itoitz.
                  
The complaint denounced the changing of the laws protecting Natural Reservations which the Navarran Government to effectively legalise the building of a dam inside a Natural Reservation.
                   
Even though Strasbourg Tribunal's decisions entail all members of the EU, Navarra's Government warned they would not obey and respect their decision if it opposed the use of this dam.

"SOLIDARIOS WITH ITOITZ" PROTEST ACTION AGAINST THE FILLING OF THE DAM.
                   
On March 20th, the day the imperialist invasion of Irak started, 4 members of our group, equiped with a power boat, get into the dam as far as the dam's wall. While two of them climb up the drain pipes the other two display a huge placard on the dam's wall, reading "Itoitz stop" and afterwards sail round the dam showing placards agains the filling, against war in Irak and in favour of our comrade Iñaki Garcia Koch, still imprisoned. They finally disembark on a small island in the middle of the dam where they chain themselves. All four were later arrested by the Civil Guard and released afterwards.

IÑAKI GARCIA KOCH'S SITUATION.
                   
Our comrade Iñaki is about to serve two years in Iruñea's prison. He has lately used several 4 to 6 day-permits to leave prison and is expecting to be granted the third penitentiary grade(which would allow him to work outside the prison during the day and enjoy weekend permits). If you want to send him solidarity messages you can write to him to this address:                                          
Iñaki Garcia Koch
Carcel de Iruñea
C/San Roque s/n
Iruñea 31004
Euskal Herria
                     
"SOLIDARIES WITH ITOITZ"                     

Press statement by Solidarios con Itoitz:  http://www.narmada.org/sardar-sarovar/solidaridos.statement.html