Spain’s parliament is expected to give preliminary approval on Thursday to a controversial amnesty bill aimed at forgiving crimes committed by Catalan separatists during an attempted independence referendum six years ago, AP News reports.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promoted the amnesty as a way to overcome the consequences of the secession attempt by the then leaders of Catalonia, a northeastern region centred on Barcelona where many speak the local Catalan language as well as Spanish.
But the bill has faced opposition from millions of Spaniards who believe the men that instigated one of Spain’s biggest political crises should face trial on charges of embezzlement and promoting public disorder.
Sánchez has already pardoned nine jailed Catalan independence leaders, a move that has helped heal wounds without much political cost. The amnesty, however, is far more controversial.
A succession crisis erupted in 2017 when the regional administration led by Carles Puigdemont held a referendum on independence, defying orders from the national government and a ruling from Spain’s highest court that it violated the constitution. Madrid deployed police in an attempt to stop the referendum, against which protests were organised that turned violent.
Catalonia’s parliament declared independence on 27 October, but this failed to gain international support. Puigdemont and several other senior officials later went into exile.
Hundreds or thousands of people in Catalonia are under threat of prosecution over the referendum or protests, while Puigdemont and other leaders remain abroad. Recent trials have charged the region’s former president with terrorism for allegedly leading mass protests that saw violent clashes with police and the closure of roads, railway lines and Barcelona airport in 2019.
Sánchez agreed to the amnesty to win the support of two Catalan separatist parties after inconclusive national elections last July turned them into kingmakers.
The conservative opposition accuses Sánchez of selling out the rule of law in exchange for another term in the Moncloa palace and has organised major street protests in recent months.
It remains to be seen whether the deal will allow Sánchez to govern: the Junts, a separatist party led by Puigdemont, has said it will vote for Sánchez in forming a government in exchange for an amnesty, and nothing more.
If the bill is approved by the lower house, it will still face a number of procedural hurdles. The conservative-majority Senate is expected to reject it, at which point the lower house would have to vote for it a second time to pass it.
Sánchez’s Socialist Party has struggled to produce a bill that would satisfy the separatists and which will undoubtedly be scrutinised by the courts. In late January, parliament rejected a previous version of the bill, saying it did not sufficiently protect the Junts. The bill then went back to a parliamentary committee, where it was finalised in line with Junts’ demands.
Puigdemont now lives in Belgium, where he became a member of the European Parliament. Hiding from Spanish justice, he describes himself as a political exile.
Thursday’s vote comes a day after Catalonia’s regional leader announced early elections. The decision added uncertainty to Spanish politics and forced Sánchez to cancel plans for a 2024 budget as he would have struggled to win the support of the two separatist parties during the election.
Spain granted amnesty during its transition to democracy after the death of Francisco Franco in 1975. But legal experts disagree on the constitutionality of the amnesty for Catalan separatists. Legal critics say it violates the principle of equality for Spaniards by favouring residents of one region.
The government says the amnesty could help hundreds of people, while pro-independence Catalan organisation Omnium Cultural says it will benefit about 4,400 people, mostly small officials and ordinary citizens who helped organise the referendum or took part in protests. It will be decided by the courts on a case-by-case basis.
