Javier de Ybarra y Bergé (2 July 1913 – 22 June 1977) was a

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

industrialist, writer, and politician from

Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...

Background

Born into a prominent Bilbao family, Javier Ybarra attended the

University of Deusto The University of Deusto ( es, Universidad de Deusto; eu, Deustuko Unibertsitatea) is a Spanish private university owned by the Society of Jesus, with campuses in Bilbao and San Sebastián, and the Deusto Business School branch in Madrid. The Un ...

. During the

Spanish Second Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of King Alfonso XIII, and was dissolved on 1 A ...

he was affiliated with the Partido Nacionalista Español and then the monarchist

Renovación Española Spanish Renovation ( es, Renovación Española, RE) was a Spanish monarchist political party active during the Second Spanish Republic, advocating the restoration of Alfonso XIII of Spain as opposed to Carlism. Associated with the Acción Españo ...

party. He fought and was injured in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. From 1963 to 1969 he was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Bilbao. He wrote works related to his experience during the Civil War, history, and politics. He was an executive with firms including

Babcock & Wilcox Babcock & Wilcox is an American renewable, environmental and thermal energy technologies and service provider that is active and has operations in many international markets across the globe with its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, USA. Historicall ...

, several banks, and the newspaper El Correo. On 20 May 1977 Javier Ybarra was kidnapped by renegade members of the Basque separatist group

ETA Eta (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἦτα ''ē̂ta'' or ell, ήτα ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative in most dialects, ...

, who entered his home in disguise, bound and gagged members of his family, and took him away in an ambulance. Demanding the release of a number of Basque prisoners (a condition largely met by the Spanish government), his captors later demanded a ransom of one billion pesetas and further prisoner releases. The situation had been complicated by the fact that the group that had kidnapped Ybarra formally renounced their affiliation with the larger ETA organization while holding him and were further disturbed when their leader was arrested in France. The Ybarra family attempted to negotiate with the kidnappers and push back the deadline for payment. The kidnappers failed to respond and on 20 June they announced they had killed Ybarra and sent a map supposedly showing the location of the body. When the

Guardia Civil The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the au ...

failed to find it, another communication was sent and the body of Javier Ybarra was found near a farmhouse in

Navarra Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...

. He had been shot in the head and wrapped in a plastic sheet. Occurring in the immediate aftermath of Spain's first free national elections in forty years, the Ybarra killing provoked widespread condemnation. Following the discovery of the body, the Madrid daily newspaper

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

lead with a full page photo of Ybarra and a statement that "all parties" condemned the "atrocious murder".''ABC'' Madrid, June 23, 1977
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Selected works

*''De California a Alaska. Historia de Descubrimiento.'' (1945) *''Mi diario de la Guerra de España 1936-1939.'' (1941) *''Politica Nacional en Vizcaya. De la Restauracion a la Republica.'' (1947)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ybarra Berge, Javier 1913 births 1970s missing person cases 1977 deaths Basque writers Formerly missing people Male murder victims Mayors of Bilbao Missing person cases in Spain People from Bilbao People killed by ETA (separatist group) Politicians from the Basque Country (autonomous community) Spanish terrorism victims University of Deusto alumni University of Salamanca alumni Unsolved murders in Spain

Background

See also

Selected works

References