By Nahia Sanzo
More than two weeks after their arrests, Eldiario.es reported yesterday that the eight Spaniards detained on February 27 have been subpoenaed to testify before a judge. Three of them, residents of Madrid, must appear before Judge Santiago Pedraz, who ordered the investigation but not the arrests.
Eldiario.es, citing court sources, reports that those arrested in Madrid will testify on March 26, while the other five will appear in courts near their homes at a later date. After their testimony, the judge will decide if he approves the charges brought against the detainees by the police, including possession of weapons and explosives, murder, and violation of the neutrality of Spain.
The release of all the detainees before testifying and the time elapsed between their release and the subpoena suggests a weak case. This lack of evidence to charge the detainees with serious crimes like murder does not correspond to the spectacular performance of the police, which included dozens of masked officers in an operation carried out simultaneously in seven Spanish cities. All the detainees were released within 24 hours after arrest.
Unlike the National Court, which took almost three weeks to subpoena the detainees, the press was impressed by the caliber of the operation and arrests, resulting in spectacular headlines and dubious allegations. The Interior Ministry got the propaganda effect it sought from the operation.
In addition to describing them as “gunmen” or “Spaniards who fought for Putin,” some media tried to paint the operation as the dismantling of a violent and organized group. El Mundo suggested that the eight detainees could be charged with terrorism “since they went to Ukraine in order to terrorize the civilian population.”
The Interior Ministry then boasted that this was the first operation at the European level against suspected combatants in the Ukraine conflict.
Translated by Greg Butterfield
Red Star News + Translations 