Spanish President Pedro Sánchez will propose to the Council of Ministers on Tuesday granting a pardon to the nine convicted Catalán separatist leaders jailed following their role in the so-called ‘procés’.
Speaking at the Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona on Monday, he said that the pardon will be an act in favour of the “constitutional spirit of concord”.
Sánchez also said that despite the turmoil the decision might trigger among part of the general public, he was convinced that “it will open the way to reconciliation and unity”.
He also made it clear that, once the first step of granting the pardons has been taken, “we do not expect those who defend independence to abandon their ideals, because neither are we going to ever renounce ours who defend the union. What we demand is that both of us abide by the constitutional pact. There is no room for politics beyond the bounds of loyalty and democratic legality.”
During the event, several hundred separatists protested outside the theatre, demanding still more concessions, with one member of the audience interrupting him for a few seconds shouting “Independence”.
If the pardons are granted on Tuesday it should lead to the separatists’ release from jail a few days later.
Catalonia’s separatist head of government Pere Aragones told Reuters last week the pardons would be a welcome first gesture to start a dialogue but considered them insufficient. He demanded an amnesty for all those involved in the 2017 events which saw secessionist Catalan MPs try and establish an independent republic unilaterally despite warnings that they were clearly breaking the law.
As many as 3,000 people could benefit from the granting of such concessions.
