FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Congress for Peace in Euskal Herria (CPEH) cpeh@aol.com The Euskal Herria Journal (EHJ), an Internet publication reporting on the Basque struggle for self-determination and independence, is available temporarily at the following "mirror" sites: http://osis.ucsd.edu/ http://www.desaparecidos.org/ehj/ http://www.easynet.co.uk/cam/censorship/ehj http://samsara.law.cwru.edu/comp_law/ehj/ http://zthomas.digiweb.com http://www.contrast.org/mirrors/ehj/ The mirror sites support free speech without necessarily supporting the views and goals of the Euskal Herria Journal. On July 18, 1997, the Institute for Global Communications (IGC) suspended the EHJ web site for review. This occurred after IGC endured a virulent "e-mail bombing" attack promoted from Spain by political forces who opposed EHJ's reports on the Basque resistance movement and claimed IGC was hosting the Basque armed organization Euskadi Ta Askatasuna itself. The attack overwhelmed IGC's ability to keep their system running and threatened to temporarily end services to other clients. IGC is "reviewing whether EHJ membership in the `progressive pages directory' promoted by IGC is consistent with IGC's mission." In light of the controversy surrounding the Euskal Herria Journal web site we state the following: First, we believe that Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA, Basque Homeland and Freedom) has a right to a web site just like the Zapatistas, the FARC-EP, the MRTA or any other resistance movement. However, EHJ is published by the Congress for Peace in Euskal Herria, an independent grassroots organization that promotes political negotiations and Basque self-determination. EHJ has historical information and documents about/from ETA but it would be presumptuous to speak for ETA. Second, we promote dialogue for a peaceful solution of the Basque conflict. And there cannot be real dialogue without including ETA, a principal antagonist in the conflict. Our campaign both in France and Spain includes seeking support for the restoration of key procedural rights and safeguards to comply with the international principles for the protection of people in detention or imprisonment in both countries, and the transfer of all Basque political prisoners to jails in the Basque Country--a first step to break the logjam conflict. Third, the intervention of the Spanish government--telling CNN to remove the links between its site and the Euskal Herria Journal--and the media that encouraged the "e-mail bombing," is a signal that EHJ is effective. Finally, we hope IGC restores the EHJ web site at the earliest possible date. We believe that no matter how threatening "e-mail bombing" was to IGC, the suspension of the EHJ web site gives into such attackers and endangers free speech. We appreciate IGC's difficulties but free speech does not come free. We remain committed to peace with JUSTICE and will continue--with or without a web site--to make known the struggle for civil and national rights in the Basque Country under French and Spanish rule and to get political negotiations started between the Spanish government and Euskadi Ta Askatasuna. Congress for Peace in Euskal Herria (CPEH) New York ENDS.