This a request for international support by
people struggling in Etoiz, Spain. Do you remember the
visit of people from Etoiz a few years ago and thier
action on the London eye?

Now, the notorious dam has closed its gates and the
government is filling the reservoir agianst the law
and any reason. First landslides have occured and the
occupied villages in the valley are threatened with
immediate eviction.

At the moment only little information is available as
the situation is unclear and tense. But the villages
can be evicated every minute....or it may take weeks.
However, the water level in the dam is rising,
endagering the population because the dam is not safe!

There are groups taking action locally but they need
strong international support....

Can you, we, organise something against the spanish
government institutions, businesses, tourist offices
etc?

message from Solidarios con Itoiz***Update: Itoiz Dam
is being filled and the landslides have begun.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
a catastrophe, 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
test sbegan, 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 ademonstration round the streets of Agoitz
of about3.000 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 ITOITZS 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 partner I?aki 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.

AKI GARCIA KOCH'S SITUATION.
Our comrade I?aki is about to serve two years inIru?ea's prison. He has
lately used several 4 to 6day-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
thisaddress:
I?aki
Garcia Koch Carcel de Iru?ea C/San Roque s/n
Iru?ea 31004 Euskal Herria
"SOLIDARIES WITH
ITOITZ"