First green light from the Spanish Congress for the controversy amnesty law which will cancel the "criminal, administrative and accounting responsibility" for over 400 people, including leaders, activists and policemen, convicted and prosecuted for the facts connected to the independence referendum held in Catalonia in 2017.
On Thursday the measure was approved with 178 votes in favour and 172 against. In addition to the socialists, promoters of the law, the other parties that support the majority also voted yes, including Sumar, the Basque nationalists of PNV and Bildu, the Catalan independentists of ERC and Junts per Catalunya. The right-wing People's Party and Vox are against it. We recall that in January it was Junts, one of the main pro-independence parties in Catalonia, who scuttled the first version of the law, claiming that it did not guarantee the application of the amnesty to its leader Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium seven years ago without ever returning to Spain to avoid arrest.
Amnesty: what changed between the first and second versions of the law
In fact, Junts asked that the amnesty also include the representatives accused of terrorism and treason, initially excluded. After days of negotiations, a compromise was reached: the new version of the text does not contain references to the Spanish penal code, but refers to European rules which give a different definition of terrorism. Those who according to the law are therefore excluded from the measures of grace European directive of 2017, and not according to Spanish law, have committed acts which due to their purpose can be classified as terrorism." And those that involve "serious violations" of articles 2 and 3 of the European Agreement on Human Rights, relating to the right to life and the prohibition of torture.
The amnesty passes the Senate, but the road is uphill
The amnesty bill will now pass the Senate, where however it could undergo a very different process. While the lower house is controlled by the socialists, in the Senate the right has the majority. The same right that on Wednesday, through the mouth of PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, denounced "Sánchez's absolute lack of scruples". “This is not a reconciliation with Catalonia, but a submission to the independentists, and the only purpose of this maneuver is to allow Sánchez to remain in power,” added Feijóo.
Both the PP and Vox have always held their ground firmly against the amnesty, repeatedly attacking Sanchèz and bringing the population to the streets several times. It is no coincidence that they have already made it known that they will try in every way to hinder the examination of the measure, delaying it for as long as possible.
It should also be considered that on March 14th, the president of the Catalan Generalitat Aragonès called early elections in the autonomous community (similar to our regions, ed.), consequently transforming the amnesty law into one of the main topics of the electoral campaign in view of the vote scheduled for 12 May, precisely in the period in which the definitive green light is expected of the Chamber, where the measure will return for the final green light. A parallel that greatly worries the Spanish Government, fearful that in order to gather votes, the pro-independence parties may play some "left-handed tricks" (not surprisingly, in Catalonia someone is already talking about a new referendum).
The great return of Charles Puigdemont
Carles Puigdemont, is one of the main leaders who organized the 2017 referendum. Since then he has lived abroad, in Belgium. If he returned to Spain he would be arrested. However, with the definitive green light for the amnesty law, the Catalan politician could finally return to his homeland. An opportunity that Junts does not intend to waste. Puigdemont is already an MEP and is running as party leader in the European elections on 9 June, but he could also run in the Catalan elections, brought forward to 12 May. He has already made it known that he will lift the reservation next week.
