Sick Basque kidnapper might be freed

A member of a Basque terrorist group with terminal cancer has been given permission to apply for early release from prison, Spanish officials said. Iosu Uribetxeberria Bolinaga is a member of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or Basque Homeland and Freedom, usually known by its acronym ETA. He was sentenced to 32 years in prison for kidnapping a prison official in 1998. Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Dia said Friday Bolinaga could apply to the high court for compassionate release, Think Spain reported. Dia granted him third-degree status. A hospital in San Sebastian concluded Bolinaga's condition is "irreversible," leading to a recommendation from a panel at the prison where he is currently held. "The secretary-general believes that, despite the various crimes committed by the convict, it is without doubt that his serious illness, and its possible evolution, including the characteristics of his treatment, extraordinarily outweigh the inmate's danger to society and practically annuls any possibility that he will commit more crimes," the panel's report said. Dia said if Bolinaga is released he should be subject to some restrictions, including a ban on making public statements or on attempting to contact his victims.