Basques rally in Bilbao to demand legalization of Sortu

Tens of thousands of separatists rallied in the troubled northern Basque region on Saturday to demand the government allows a newly launched pro-independence party to run in forthcoming elections.

Those behind the party, called Sortu, insist it rejects armed group Eta's violence and hence merits legal status and the right to field candidates in May election.

However, Spain's attorney general said it was merely a repackaged version of Batasuna, a party banned in 2003 on grounds it was part of Eta.

It is up to a special section of the Supreme Court to decide on the new party's legal status. read more about the article here:

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