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Speaking in an exclusive interview with EITB''s Radio Euskadi, the former managing director of the banned Basque-language newspaper Egunkaria, Iñaki Uria, one of five people who from Tuesday will stand trial in the dock of Spain''s Central Criminal Court, has said a guilty verdict "would be a complete surprise" and that "things will only begin to right themselves following an acquittal".

The trail against Egunkaria will begin on Tuesday at Spain''s Central Criminal Court. Alongside Uria, also standing trail will be Martxelo Otamendi, Xabier Oleaga, Joan Mari Torrealdai and Txema Auzmendi.

The charge, brought by the Association for Victims of Terrorism (AVT) and the group Dignity and Justice, accuses the newspaper, among other allegations, of financing and giving publicity to the convictions of ETA. The Public Prosecution, however, did not share this opinion and subsequently requested the lawsuit.

The ex-MD has defended the publication as a "very small, but plural newspaper". "It was open, plural but unifying. We were aware that Basque society was very polarised and that we needed to produce a media that was broad and would serve everybody".

The five men who stand accused in the main trial against Egunkaria are facing sentences of between 12 and 14 years in prison.