The outbreak of a new wave of killings by ETA, the Basque armed separatist group, has led to increased pressure from public opinion on Judges and Magistrates in cases concerning ETA members or activists whose activities have been imputed to them.
Concerns have also arisen in recent years regarding media pressure on the judiciary in sensitive cases such as those concerning immigrants and the emergence of “celebrity judges.”
Judges have also been burdened by excessive caseloads.
As a response to these problems, the Government and the two main political parties have endorsed a programmatic declaration, the State Pact for the Reform of Justice, which sets common objectives and goals to improve the functioning of the judicial system.
Attacks on Justice 2002 – Spain [full text, PDF]