Overview
- Multiple Spanish outlets reported his death after Naiz confirmed he had died, with coverage published on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
- Zabarte was a longtime ETA member who was convicted for 17 murders and linked by courts and reporting to a string of deadly attacks in the 1970s and 1980s.
- He spent roughly three decades in prison following a 1984 arrest, was freed in November 2013, and continued to deny wrongdoing in public statements.
- After his release Zabarte appeared at events tied to the prisoners' group Sare and the abertzale political milieu, actions that provoked strong rejection from victims' associations.
- Victims and commentators say his death renews debate over how Spain remembers ETA violence, balances reintegration with accountability, and addresses victims' demands for truth and reparation.