Segovia prison break facts for kids

The Segovia prison break was a daring escape that happened in Segovia, Spain, on April 5, 1976. Twenty-nine political prisoners managed to get out of Segovia prison. This was the biggest prison escape in Spain since the Spanish Civil War. The prisoners dug tunnels and used the prison's drainage system to get out. They then hid in a truck and drove towards the French border.

However, their plan went wrong before they reached France. They got lost in a forest in Navarre. Most of them were caught again after a clash with the Civil Guards (Spanish police). Sadly, one of the prisoners died during this confrontation. The last four escapees made it across the French border. The French government held them for a while, but they escaped again. In 1977, the Spanish government announced a general pardon, which meant the escapees were set free or could return to Spain.

Why the Escape Happened

In the last years of Francoist Spain, many people were worried about "political prisoners." These were people jailed for their political beliefs, not for regular crimes. Many protests happened, asking for these prisoners to be freed. For example, there was a big strike in the Basque Country in December 1974. There was even a protest on the very day of the escape.

After Franco, Spain's leader, died in October 1975, the new king, Juan Carlos, freed some prisoners. But more than 600 political prisoners were still in jail across Spain. Many of them were linked to a Basque group called ETA. This group wanted the Basque Country to be independent.

Before this, the most successful escape by ETA prisoners was in December 1969. Fifteen political prisoners, including ten ETA members, escaped from Basauri prison. The Segovia escape would become the biggest prison break since the Spanish Civil War. It was also the largest of many escape attempts organized by ETA.

How the Escape Was Planned

The prisoners learned from older prisoners that there was a hidden space in a wall. This space could be used for an escape. They first planned for 54 prisoners to escape on August 2, 1975. But this plan was stopped because a secret agent found out about it.

After that, they started planning again. At this time, the prison had 53 political prisoners and 7 guards. They decided fewer prisoners should try to escape because security was tighter. Also, some of the original 54 prisoners had been moved to other jails. Some prisoners, including important Communist Party members, chose not to join the new plan.

In the end, 29 prisoners took part in the escape. Twenty-five of them were from ETA. The others were from another group called FRAP. Together, these prisoners had been sentenced to more than 1,500 years in prison. They focused on helping prisoners who had very long sentences.

For the earlier escape attempt, a camera was secretly brought into the prison. This was to take pictures of the prisoners. These photos would be used to make fake ID cards and passports. They also smuggled civilian clothes into the prison in parcels.

ETA led the escape planning, just like the August attempt. They carefully studied the prison to find weak spots. They decided that the prison's drainage system was the best way out. They started looking for the quickest way to reach it. They tested the prison walls and found a hollow space behind the toilets.

Work for the escape began in October 1975. The prisoners used a piece of metal from the prison's lumberyard. They removed six tiles to create a small opening. Through this opening, they could get into the hollow space and start digging a tunnel. To hide their work, they put the tiles back and built a secret door. Other prisoners helped by making noise. This noise covered up the sounds of digging the tunnel.

After a month of hard work to get into the hollow space, their job became easier because of the hidden door. Up to five prisoners took turns digging the tunnel. They dug for two meters and found they had reached the drainage tunnels under the prison. They sawed through the metal bars to get into these tunnels.

The Escape Day

At 2:00 PM, the prisoners changed into regular clothes. They used a short time between prisoner counts to make their escape through the tunnel. They used torches they had made in prison to see in the dark tunnels. Outside the prison, a support team of four people was waiting. They had a truck, documents, guns, and money.

The escapees decided the border with Portugal was too heavily guarded. So, their plan was to escape to France. They drove towards Pamplona. After driving about 50 kilometers (31 miles), they switched vehicles. They made the drivers of a large truck take them to Espinal at gunpoint. From Espinal, they planned to walk across the France–Spain border. But a thick fog made them lose their way in the forest and hills.

Being Found and Caught Again

At 5:45 PM, the prison guards counted the prisoners. That's when they found out about the escape. A huge search began. Police and Civil Guards set up roadblocks in important places.

The group of escapees had split up. Most of them were caught during clashes on April 6. In the first clash, at 2:00 AM, one of the escapees was killed. One escapee and one Civil Guard were hurt. The five remaining escapees from this clash gave up.

At 11:00 AM, another group of fourteen escapees had a clash with Civil Guards in Burguete. Five of them were caught. The rest of this group escaped into the nearby hills. But at 2:00 PM, eight of them came back to the town. They asked the owner of the first house they saw to contact the local priest. With the priest's help, they surrendered to the Civil Guards. In total, twenty-one prisoners were caught the day after the escape.

On the morning of April 8, another escapee was caught near Agoitz. He had been wounded in the arm during one of the clashes. With two more escapees caught at midday on April 9, only four were still free.

The last four escapees went into an empty house near the French border. They decided to wait there. They changed their clothes and made the house stronger, in case the police found them. On Saturday, April 9, a nearby house became occupied. The escapees thought about taking the people in that house and using their car. But they decided not to. They waited for the owner of their house to arrive. They thought he would come soon because it was Holy Week.

They captured him when he arrived on April 12. They asked him to drive them to Pamplona, but he refused. On Maundy Thursday, April 15, they tied him up. They gave him some money for his trouble. Then they used his car to drive to Pamplona and crossed the border into France from there. They went to The Office of Stateless Refugees in Paris on April 29. They were held on the Island of Yeu. On June 9, 1976, they escaped from Yeu. They said they had tried every legal way to be free, so this was their only choice left.

Those who were caught in Spain were taken to Pamplona. From there, they were sent to different prisons in southern Spain. In March, May, and October 1977, new laws were passed. These laws led to the release of the remaining political prisoners.

See also

In Spanish: Fuga de Segovia para niños