Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has launched a controversial proposal for a bill that would grant amnesty to prosecuted Catalan separatists, a concession he made earlier this year to supporters of independence for Catalonia in order to stay in power.
This bill comes six years after Catalonia’s attempted secession in 2017. It is seen as the Spanish Prime Minister’s effort to turn a new page in Catalonia following one of the most severe crises in modern Spanish history, a crisis that still has an impact on the country’s political climate.
On Monday, Sánchez, who had previously opposed such an amnesty, acknowledged that it was a “complex decision” to communicate to the public, but emphasised that it was “necessary” to move forward towards the “resolution” of the ongoing “political” conflict in Catalonia.
Once enacted – likely in several months – this law will result in courts dismissing charges against hundreds of activists and separatist leaders who were involved in the 2017 events.
The law would also allow Carles Puigdemont, regional president of Catalonia in 2017, to return to Spain six years after fleeing to Belgium to evade prosecution.
