When torture happens in Europe: an account by Beatriz Etxebarria

«They throw a blanket on the floor. 'Commissar' shouts and tells me that they will rape me again». This is one of the most representative sentences used by Beatriz Etxebarria, a Basque political prisoner, to explain the tortures she suffered while in detention. Here is the English translation of her first hand account. The original in Spanish can be read here.

They burst my door by 4:00 AM on 1 May 2011. They catch me from the hair and take me in a twinkling to the living room. I am in bra but they do not let me put on any clothes during the registration. Once in the living room, they reduce me violently and they try to put me the handcuffs on the sofa. They get angry because they do not fit me. They tell me while I am sitting on the sofa: "you will see how you will spend the next five days".

I got a bit dizzy during the registration of the storage room. They catch me very strongly from my arm, they leave me marks. They put me handcuffs made of robe, tighter and tighter. 

While leaving home they threaten me: do not look neither talk to my partner. They lead me to the place where the car was and prevent me from looking at the registration.

They take me to the medical examiner in Bilbo: they look at me well, I have some marks on wrists because of the handcuffs, I had my veins swollen and some scratches. My arms are red because of the way they are cathing me, also stiff.

They ride me on a Patrol. They forced me to close my eyes and even blindfold me using their hands. I listen to them talking about meeting another car.

They stop the car. A Civil Guard, called himself 'Commissar', comes for me and we change the car. This time it is not a Patrol, it is a normal car considering the space and height to enter. Commissar starts to shout in my ear and to menace me: «I am military and I am trained to kill». He tells me that I have to options: to start talking since the begining or not. I notice how they take a bag and put it on my hands. During the journey to Madrid they beat me in the head and menace me constantly. They tell me that they are about to stop the car and that "I am going to undress you, I drop you to the snow and I am going to open you in canal". Commisar put his jacket out and starts scrubbing himself against my body. The other policeman beside him tries to "calm down" Commissar but also threatens me. They make me "the bag" (a technique of torture consisting in applying a bag to the detainee in order to make him think he is choking)  twice on our way to Madrid.

There are two different rooms inside the commissariat: from the first I heard the screams of the rest of detainees, but there was another below which I had the feeling it was isolated, the treatment there was even worse. I will call the first "harsh room" and the other "very harsh room".

The menaces go on and Commissar gets me into a cell and tells me to think well what I am going to do. They get me out the cell and take me to the medical examiner.

It is Tuesday at around 20:30. I tell him that I am being tortured. Then, they get me back into the cell.

I am transferred to the "harsh room". Once there, I could heard the screams of the rest of detainees. They sit me down in a chair and wet my hands, whilst I hear a noise of something like electrodes. When I was inside the cell I heard he same noises. They tell me that I must talk and start undressing me until I am totally naked. While naked, they throw cold water on me. They put me "the bag" on until three times more. They threaten me with making me "the bath" (another technique which consists in putting the head of the detainee inside a bath full of water so that he feels choking). While naked, I am put on all fours on a sort of stool. They put vaseline into my anus and vagina and start introducing me an object. I am still naked and they wrap me with a blanket and beat me. I am caught, buffeted and finally raised from the floor.

They take me back into the cell until Wednesday morning, when I visit the medical examiner again. I tell he something about the treatment I was undergoing but and his reaction was bad.

I come back to the cell and then I try to "rest" a bit. After a while, Commissar comes and takes me to the "very harsh room". Once there, they undress me again. He pulls my hair, beats me on the head and shouts in my ear that he is a military and he has been trained to kill and "I will shatter your inside so that you cannot have little terrorists".

They bring me back to the cell and, after being there, to the medical examinator. I tell him nothing after seeing that during the last visit he questioned the account on tortures I had suffered.

There were many people during the questioning. Once I counted to seven different voices. They threaten me constantly with my partner (to whom I listened that he was being tortured). They also menace me with detaining my brother. They tell me that, if there is not any treat, they will detain not only my parents, but they will also take my grandmother "in panties and that he will fuck her".

The penultimate day, Commissar undresses me again. He throws a blanket on the floor, shouts and tells me that they will rape me again. I get the impression that he starts putting his clothes off, I hear how he removes his belt. Then, a man who is referred to as Garmendia tries to calm him down, he gets him out of the room where they were and I hear how they talk. Garmendia enters the room again and makes me promise that I am going to declare.

I had until six questionings the last day. I made my second policial statement on Saturday at around 5:40 AM. After that they do not undress me again and are less aggressive, they even told asked me if I wanted to see Iñigo (her boyfriend).

The threats did not cease until we arrived in the National Court. Inside the van, Commissar, who was sitting besides me, told me that I had to ratify my statement before the judge.

During all the incommunicado period, except when visiting the medical examinator, I staid blindfolded with different masks. There were some made by latex with a sort of dust which could make me blind if I opened my eyes, according to them. I noticed that when they removed it my eyes itched for a while. When I was with Commissar, they put me another mask made by something like velvet.

During the incommunicado period I was mainly with three policemen (Commissar, Inspector and Garmendia, who was less savage), althought there used to be many people in the room during the questionings.

Before the judge I denied the statement I had made to the police and denounced that I had been tortured.