Three leading Basque separatists were formally accused yesterday of advocating terrorism, Spanish prosecutors said.
The three are, Mr Arnaldo Otegi, head of Euskal Herritarrok (EH), the political wing of the Basque separatist group ETA, Mr Lander Etxebarria, an EH spokesman, and Mr Jon Idigoras, an independent separatist leader.
The accusations stem from statements allegedly made by the three on Saturday at a rally honouring four ETA members killed by their own explosives on August 7th.
The Bilbao prosecutor's office had already issued a formal complaint last Wednesday against Mr Otegi for advocating terrorism after he called the four ETA victims "patriots" and "comrades of the struggle".
Meanwhile, the leader of the moderate Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) criticised the Spanish government's handling of the Basque problem yesterday and rejected calls to repudiate an agreement with the political wing of the separatist group ETA.
The centre-right government of the Prime Minister, Mr Jose Maria Aznar, had shown "immense incompetence" in its handling of the Basque situation, the PNV president, Mr Xavier Arzalluz, told a press conference after a meeting of his party's executive.