Spain’s Former King Juan Carlos Pressured the Spanish Government in Order to Receive Special Treatment

Spain’s former King Juan Carlos, who is currently under investigation for corruption and money laundering, pressured the Spanish government in order to receive special treatment, according to Spanish political figures.

In an interview for La Sexta network, the former Minister of Defense José Bono (PSOE) revealed how the former monarch pressured him to replace the then head of the General Staff of the Army Luís Alejandre. When Bono refused, the monarch personally directed a complaint towards the then Prime Minister of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE), despite the fact that the Spanish Constitution declares that the monarchy and the executive branch must be separate and free of interference.

Juan Carlos also called Bono during the latter’s time as Speaker of the Congress (2008-2011) to thank him after certain delicate parliamentary questions were rejected before they could be raised in the House.

In another interview for La Sexta, Former Minister Margallo (PP) defended Juan Carlos against criticism and praised his intense patriotism: “I have never met anyone who has the love for Spain that Juan Carlos de Bourbon has, his passion for Spain is truly emotional,” he said.  Margallo asked that the reign of Juan Carlos not be judged based on alleged corruption and money laundering, holding that he was “key” for the consolidation of democracy in Spain.

Catalonia Would Vote for Independence in a Referendum, According to the Latest ICPS Poll

Catalonia would vote “Yes” for Independence if a referendum were held today, according to the latest poll published by the Institute of Political and Social Sciences (ICPS), which is affiliated with the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

It showed that 44.4% of Catalans would vote “Yes”, 33.3% would vote “No”, 18.5% would abstain, and 3.3% do not know or would not answer. However, among those who would decide to go to the polls, 56.7% would vote “Yes” and 42.6% would vote “No”.

The ICPS survey also indicates that, in the preferences on the state model, 38.1% prefer an independent Catalonia, 25.9% would prefer Catalonia to be an autonomous community of Spain, and 19.4% would prefer Catalonia to remain a state within federal Spain.

Considering the individual political parties, most of the members of JxCat, ERC and CUP want the process to end with independence, while those of PSC and els Comuns would opt for increased self-government, and those of C,s and PP simply would like the process to end, although C,s voters are quite divided and almost half would also like an increase in self-government.

The EU Parliament’s Procedure to Decide on the Immunity of Catalan MEPs Carles Puigdemont, Clara Ponsatí and Toni Comín to Begin Tomorrow Monday

Tomorrow Monday, November 16th, the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs will start discussing whether to lift the immunity of Catalan leaders Puigdemont, Ponsatí and Comín. This comes at the request of Spanish authorities, who have openly expressed their desire to have them extradited in order to jail them for their roles in the 2017 independence referendum, even though Belgian justice recently rejected the extradition of exiled Catalan leader Lluís Puig arguing that the Supreme Court did not have the authority to issue a European arrest warrant against him.

The ultra-conservative Bulgarian MEP Angel Dzhambazki will be the head of the committee and will present the case, which will then be discussed by the rest of MEPs on the committee.

Monday’s session will be held virtually due to Covid-19 restrictions. Puigdemont, Comín and Ponsatí will be summoned for a hearing at a later date. The debate on their immunity is expected to last for several months.

In the event Puigdemont, Comín and Ponsatí lose their immunity, they would still remain MEPs until a potential extradition and conviction barring them from office takes place.

Amnesty International Once Again Calls for the Immediate Release of Jailed Catalan Leaders Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez

On Tuesday, Amnesty International called once again for the immediate and unconditional release of jailed Catalan leaders Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sànchez, thus bringing an end to the “injustice” they have been suffering for three years, during which they have been in prison.

The two pro-independence activists were jailed for their roles in the 2017 independence push, when they held a peaceful demonstration in front of the Ministry of the Economy. Both Sànchez and Cuixart were leaders of civic organizations, ANC and Òmnium, at the time of their jailing and were not members of any political party that carried out the 2017 independence referendum.

Amnesty considers their imprisonment “disproportionate” and that it “violates their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.” The organization presented a technical report in 2019 based on international law that points out the “vagueness” of the crime of sedition for which Cuixart and Sànchez were convicted and states that Spain’s state powers “have the opportunity to correct the effects of an unjust sentence against human rights.”

The writ was presented to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Constitutional Court, the Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General for Constitutional and Human Rights.

After the publication of the report, Jordi Sànchez remarked that “freedom of expression protected him while demonstrating in front of the Ministry of the Economy on September 20, 2017” and that “his arrest, accusation, and conviction had no legal basis.” Meanwhile, Cuixart called on Spain’s PM, Pedro Sánchez, to “comply” with international law and act to free the prisoners.

Spain’s Police Names Newest Operation Against the Catalan Pro-Independence Movement After WW2 Nazi Battle Victory

The Spanish Civil Guard has named the new operation against the Catalan pro-independence movement “Volhov,” the name of a Russian river near the city of Novgorod, where the Spanish fascist Blue Division under Nazi command won a battle against the Soviet Union in 1941.

The unblocking of the river allowed the Nazi Army to consolidate positions and launch an offensive to the east, and so the Germans occupied the towns of Smeissko, Sitno, Tigoda and Petrovskoye.

Between 1941 and 1943, about 50,000 Spanish soldiers took part in several battles on the Eastern Front, all as part of the Siege of Leningrad. The Blue Division was a unit of volunteer Spaniards that fought in favor of Hitler during World War II, mainly on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Union’s Red Army. It participated in several battles, much acclaimed today by Franco’s supporters and the far-right ultras: Krasni Bor, the Battle of Possad and the Battle of Volhov.