Egin (newspaper)

Egin was a Basque newspaper written in Spanish language and Basque language.

The first issue of Egin was published on 29 September 1977. The paper was published from Hernani by Orain SA, which also ran the radio station Egin Irratia. In 1993 its circulation was 51,366 copies. The publication was a major driving force behind Basque Radical Rock, releasing in 1987 the compilation Bat, Bi, Hiru... Hamar, considered a watershed in that musical movement.

For many years Egin was accused of being used by the separatist organization Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA). In 1985, the editor Xabier Galeano was killed by the death squads GAL in the context of the 'dirty war'. In 1994, the Ertzaintza (Basque police) searched the headquarters of Egin.

At dawn on 14 July 1998 Judge Baltasar Garzón ordered the precautionary closure of both media and the arrest of several of Orain, SA directives. Concern rose and anger mounted across the Basque Country for what many political, cultural personalities and jurists considered a politically driven operation of dubious legal grounds. It was followed by a mass demonstration and other street protests. Spanish president José María Aznar labeled it "an attack on terrorism", and left little margin as to the driving force behind the action, asserting with some bravado whether "someone thought we did not dare do it", which did not add to political reassurance, especially in the Basque context.

Spanish Socialist opposition leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba accused the Spanish premier of attempting "to capitalize on this issue" to garner votes in Spain. Also in the Spanish context, Izquierda Unida leader Julio Anguita put the operation down directly to a governmental order. In August 1999, the judge authorised the reopening of the newspaper. However, by then the machinery had been dismantled or left useless by lack of upkeep, with the promoters having no funds, since they were being used to pay bails and fines imposed on the defendants. The newspaper remained closed.

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