A Spanish court has sentenced the former leader of the banned Basque separatist party Batasuna to two years in jail for “glorifying terrorism”.

Arnaldo Otegi was charged over a speech he gave in 2005 in which he compared a jailed Eta member to South African Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela.

Batasuna is the political wing of the militant Basque separatist group Eta.

Eta is blamed for more than 820 deaths in its campaign for an independent Basque state.

Arnaldo Otegi has also been banned from holding public office for 16 years.

He is already in jail on charges of trying to re-form Batasuna. He also faces another case related to Batasuna's alleged financing of Eta and its activities.

via BBC News – Spain jails Basque separatist leader Arnaldo Otegi.