The controversial amnesty for Catalan separatists has come into effect. The scheme for a political agreement introduced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez could have far-reaching consequences.
The “Law for Institutional, Political and Social Normalization in Catalonia” was published on Tuesday in the Spanish Official Gazette. This means that separatists who fled abroad to escape Spain’s legal system, especially former regional government leader Carles Puigdemont, can hope to return home without being arrested there.
Arrest warrants are currently pending
But that would require the judiciary to revoke arrest warrants, which could take some time. The responsible judge at the High Court in Madrid, Pablo Llarena, said in an initial response that the arrest warrants he issued in early 2023 against Puigdemont and three other separatist politicians will remain in place for the time being. Llarena gave the public prosecutor’s office and lawyers of those affected five days to rule on the “applicability” of the new amnesty law before deciding whether to withdraw the arrest warrants, the Supreme Court said.
Left-wing government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría told journalists: “Parliament has done its job, the government has done its job, the law has been passed and is now in force, so it is up to the judges to implement it.”
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had promised the Catalanistas amnesty and other concessions to secure the votes of two separatist parties for his re-election in November. The liberal junts of separatist leader Puigdemont and the left-wing ERC continue to strive for Catalonia’s secession from Spain. But Sánchez wants to prevent this and defuse the conflict through dialogue.
Violent protests against amnesty
The amnesty plans had sparked anger in the EU’s fourth-largest economy in recent months. There were protests with thousands of participants. The approval of the amnesty law in parliament at the end of May was preceded by heated debates and several votes in both houses of parliament. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijoó of the conservative Popular Party PP described the measure as a “national disgrace” and “international disgrace”. He accused Sánchez of political “corruption” because he “bought” his re-election with the amnesty.
Puigdemont is still in exile
The amnesty applies to anyone who has come into conflict with the law in connection with the independence movement since 2012. Only some crimes, such as terrorism, are excluded. One of the 400 beneficiaries is Puigdemont, under whose auspices Catalonia was plunged into chaos following an illegal independence referendum and a decision to secede from Spain in the fall of 2017. The conservative central government at the time placed the region under compulsory administration. Puigdemont managed to escape with some of his comrades and has since lived in exile in Belgium.
Source: Krone
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