Spain’s socialist government is reportedly close to an agreement with Catalan separatists on a new amnesty bill that would pardon the organisers of the 2017 illegal independence referendum. The new law would grant immunity from any potential punishment for crimes committed in connection with the referendum, which is considered an act of sedition by Spanish authorities.
MEP Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan president and leader of the illegal referendum, is insistent on getting an amnesty from the Spanish government. Puigdemont has avoided facing charges of sedition by remaining in Belgium but is now facing additional charges of terrorism—for his direction of separatist riots in 2019—and treason, for turning to Russia for financial support for the Catalan cause.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is desperate to move the amnesty law through parliament—first, because he needs the support of Puigdemont’s party to remain in power and, second, so he can put the unpopular law behind him.
On Saturday, the governing socialist party PSOE announced it was close to an agreement with Puigdemont’s party Junts Per Cat on a revised text for an amnesty law that would grant him and a wide range of other separatists a pardon and immunity from any potential punishment.
An earlier text was rejected by the Catalans at the last minute as it did not go far enough to ensure that Puigdemont could return to Spain scot-free.
Puigdemont is also eager for the amnesty as he intends to run again for MEP in this summer’s European elections. The amnesty may be key to Puigdemont retaining his MEP position; the serious charges he is facing, particularly terrorism, could disqualify him from running. A mere indictment on terrorism charges could make him ineligible for public office under Spanish law.
In fact, the question of an amnesty for terrorism charges derailed the last version of the amnesty bill. The bill only included “terrorism-lite,” a legal innovation that only refers to cases where the terrorism did not violate human rights. The Catalan separatists insisted that it should cover all terrorism charges.
But time is running out for Puigdemont. The new text will likely hit the floor of the lower house of the Spanish parliament before Easter, but it won’t be able to complete the entire legislative process until July.
