SOME BASIC DATA
 

The Itoiz Reservoir Project is located in the north-east of Basque Country, in the province of Nafarroa, 30 Km away from Iruña (Pamplona). If constructed, the Irati and Urrobi rivers would flow to the reservoir. It would have a capacity of 418 Htm3, with a dam of 135 meters high and 35 Km length, and would flood 1.100 Ha. 

ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL DISASTER 

With the construction of the dam, nine villages of the Artze, Longida and Irati valleys would disappear, and six villages would partially be flooded. Historical and artistic heritage would be lost, including ways of live based on respect of Earth, that have lasted until the present day. The Itoiz reservoir would flood three areas which have been declared Natural Parks (Txintxurrenea, Gaztelu and Iñarbe), where the European Union has created protected areas and two Z.E.P.A.S. (Special Zones for Bird Protection).These laws show the importance of natural richness of this area of transitionbetween the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea, and the necessity to safeguard species in extinction. This is the case of the alimoche, golden eagle, vulture, imperial owl, desmán and otter (which has already disappeared due to the works in the dam).

FALSE ARGUMENTS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE RESERVOIR Upgrading the irrigation system One of the main arguments for building the Itoiz reservoir is to  increase irrigation (57.000 ha) in South and Central Navarra. To be able to develop this project, a 177 Km. canal (named Navarra Canal) needs to be built. But it hasn't even been projected. The European Union's Agrarian Policy and the World Trade Organisation accords tend to reduce the agrarian surpluses and areas for cultivation. These policies do not encourage the creation of new areas of irrigation. The present Spanish National Irrigation Plan does not provide for the creation of new irrigated areas developed from this project. Well known specialists in the subject have carried out investment-profitability studies on this hypothetical irrigation areas, showing that these projects are not profitable due to their cost. As an historical background, the example of Riaño (Spain) can be taken:

in that case, 15 years after the dam was built, not even one irrigated hectare has been created. *Electricity production and urban consumption The need of drinkable water in urban areas and surroundings is another excuse used for the construction of the Itoiz reservoir. This would mean, in words of the Confederacion Hidrografica del Ebro -C.H.E.- 
(organisation that administrates the use of water), Pamplona having 3 or 4 times larger supply of water than any big city (1430 litres per person and day). No serious blueprint has yet been presented to show how this water would be canalised to Pamplona. Electricity production is another excuse used. The planned power plant would produce 52 GW/H, while the reservoir would flood four power plants in the Irati banks, which at this moment produce 34.6 GW/H altogether, and which will be compensated with 5.000 million pesetas. 
THE REAL PURPOSES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ITOIZ DAM 
The main reason for the construction of the Itoiz reservoir is to supply water to areas in the Mediterranean shore, from the Pyrenees, with speculative and developist aims (tourism, golf courses,...). A territorial, social and ecological imbalance incompatible with a rational administration. 

CORRUPTION AROUND THE PROJECT 
 

Since the beginning, this project is characterised by corruption. The construction works were fraudulently appointed: Antonio Aragon, ex-minister of the Navarra government, and ex-president of the C.H.E., got paid 720 million pesetas for the appointments of the works. He and Gabriel Urralburu, ex-president of the Navarra government, were imprisoned for the appointment of this and other construction works. The following president Javier Otano had to resign for the same reasons; he is pending trail at the present time. Also, Leoncio Castro, the head of security of the construction works, was one of the chiefs of G.A.L. (paramilitary group created by the Spanish government that killed 30 people). Without any explanation, the budget rose from 16.000 million to 30.000 million of pesetas. 

ILLEGALITY OF THE PROJECT
 

The technical project of the Itoiz reservoir was overturned by the Spanish High Court (29/9/1995). This cancellation was corroborated by the Supreme Court (14/7/97). But none of these actions have stopped the construction works. At this moment, the principal dam is already built, and the new road that substitutes the one that would be flooded will soon be inaugurated. Then, the construction of the secondary dam will begin. In 1994 the "Coordinadora de Itoiz" made a formal complaint about the project at the Environmental Commission of the European Union. But it was filed by the Commission. In 1998 the European Ombudsman declared that the filing of the demand was not justified, and that it constituted a case of "bad administration". The reason for the mismanagement of the petition was the political pressure by the Navarra and Spanish governments. In top of this, the Navarra government contracted the mafiosi Burson-Marsteller company (the transnational for public opinion creation) to convince mass media and society of the need of the reservoir. This famous firm has also worked advising several dictatorships and polluting companies. 

ABSOLUTE LACK OF SECURITY 

A recent research carried out by Antonio Casas (head of the Department of Geo-Dynamics at the University of Zaragoza), shows that the left slope where the principal dam is based has great problems of instability. This could have "catastrophic consequences", becoming more dangerous with the filling and emptying of the reservoir, and in the case of seismic movements. Three million cubic meters of soil could slide and block the drains at the bottom, overflowing the dam (as it happened in 1963 in the Italian town of Vaiont, causing 2000 casualties). It could also break the dam (as it was the case in the Spanish town of Tous where dozens of people died). In a study developed by the Ministry of Environment, the Itoiz dam is labelled as a "maximum risk" construction. Both the Spanish and Navarran governments have deliberately hidden all studies related to the security of the dam, since well before the beginning of the construction works until the present day.

MILITARISATION OF THE AREA 

The works have brought the complete militarisation of the area. In the skirts of the dam a barrack has been built for the 60 permanent members of the Guardia Civil. In top of this we have to add 30 security guards. And with the 3 Guardia Civil barracks that are located in the surroundings, Itoiz is one of the most militarised areas of Europe. That has translated in the continuous police harassment of the inhabitants: daily road checks, body searches, threats and more than "suspicious" burnings of social centres and private vehicles. zurück
CUTTING THE CABLES
 

In the summer of 1995, the National Court declared null and illegal the project of Itoiz reservoir, and asked the "Coordinadora de Itoiz" for a payment of 23.000 millions pesetas, as a fee for stopping the works. Seeing that the construction works didn't stop, but its rhythm accelerated, "Solidari@s con Itoiz" decided to paralyze them with a daring action. 
On February 6th 1996, in the dawn, 8 members of "Solidari@s con Itoiz" together with 5 journalists, entered the construction site. Two of them tied the hands of the security guard, and they got rid of his weapon throwing it to the roof of the barrack, to avoid the danger of any possible harm. The guard was tied up for 5 minutes. Moments later, the other six members, using circular saws, cut the six cables of the system used to transport the concrete of the dam. 

This cables measuring 800 meters were vital for the construction works. So they were paralyzed for a whole year due to this action. As in every action committed by Solidari*s con Itoiz, once the cables were cut, the 8 people remained in the construction site until the arrival of the security guards and the Guardia Civil. They were handcuffed and forced to lie face down, and were beaten for an hour, suffering various injuries: breaking of the tympanum, injuries in the tendon of the legs, bruises all over their bodies, etc. They were locked in a police van in single compartments, measuring 1 x 0,5 meters. They had to be there for eight hours, under the stifling sun and with their hands handcuffed to their back, without being allow to drink any water. The journalists were also assaulted and their photographic material exposed to light. The following day, the office of one of the newspapers whose journalists witnessed the action, was assaulted "presumably" by the police who was searching for compromising graphic material.

In a process carried out in spring of 1999, two security guards were sentenced to pay 1.000.000 pesetas to compensate for the injuries caused to two members of the group. This compensation has not yet been paid. For the following 15 days there was a huge mass media campaign labelling the members of the group as terrorists, trying to set (without any success) society against them. The 8 members were imprisoned, but were provisionally released pending trail, after 2 months, thanks to the social pressure. Two days after their release, a demonstration was organised against the reservoir, mobilising 15.000 people. It was one of the largest in the history of the struggle against the reservoir. Due to the action of "cutting the cables," solidarity spread. A support campaign gathered more than 300 organizations. 
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PENAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACTION
 

Two years after the action, the trial against the 8 members of "Solidari@s con Itoiz" took place at the Navarra's Provincial Court. They were confronted with five different condemn requests, being the most disproportionate the request of 19 years of prison for each, coming from the Navarra government. They were sentenced to 4 years and 10 months of prison term for illegal detention (kidnapping). These prison terms are disproportional compared to the 3 weekends of house arrest to which they were sentenced for cutting the cables. They were also sentenced to pay 1.800 millions worth in compensations. The judicial power confronted the fact that the cutting of the cables was not a crime punishable with a prison term, and it contradicted its own jurisprudence by labelling a detention that did not last longer that 5 minutes as a kidnapping. The High Court had to refer to a sentence of 1874, to be able to affirm so. The proof that the "kidnapping" time was not longer than five minutes is shown in a video which was used as 

evidence in the trial and that is available to the public. The group presented an appeal to the High Court, that finally has been rejected in October 1999. This sentence can not be appealed and implies the imminent imprisonment of the 8 members of the group. It's ironic that this people have been sentenced to a prison term equal to that of the four policemen, members of the paramilitary group G.A.L., recently sentenced for the kidnapping of Segundo Marey (who was kept for 10 days in terrible conditions). And almost daily in Euskal Herria other people are "illegally arrested" by different police forces, some being detained for hours, without constituting any kind of crime.  This shows how justice acts differently depending on the person processed. It's surprising the tenacity of the judiciary in this matter, while they didn't make any effort to stop the construction works of the reservoir that were declared illegal several times. Once more, the judiciary allies with the political and economical powers to support the irrationality, the inequality and the lack of sensibility towards Earth and people.

As soon as the sentence was published, "Coordinadora de Itoiz", "Greenpeace", "Ecologistas en Acción" (a federation of more than 120 ecologist groups within the Spanish state), trade unions and different organisations, made public a plea of exemption for the 8 people condemned. All this shows clearly that "Solidari@s con Itoiz" is not alone zurück
The Itoiz Reservoir Project 
OPPOSITION AGAINST THE ITOIZ RESERVOIR COORDINADORA DE ITOIZ 
The "Coordinadora de Itoiz" was born in 1985 (the same year in which talks began about this project) as an opposing group against the Itoiz reservoir. During these years, its principal activities have been to inform, distribute several technical studies, mobilise society and denounce judicially the illegality of the project at the different court levels. SOLIDARI@S CON ITOIZ On February 1995, a year and a half after the beginning of the construction works, "Solidari@s con Itoiz" was born. The intention was to create a new front of struggle: that of direct, public and non-violent action. Within civil disobedience action strategy to defend the Earth. Our actions are focused in the headquarters of the companies and government agencies responsible for the construction works, or at the construction site. When the civil disobedience actions ends, the members of the group remain in the place without opposing any resistance to police detention. Even though we have been many times battered by the different police forces and security guards. Due to these actions, members of Solidari@s have been prosecuted 5 times, with the result of eight of them being imprisoned for 2 months (due to the cut of the cables) and another one imprisoned for 16 months.