Spain refuses to comply with the recommendations of the Council of Europe for human rights in Catalonia

The Council of Europe’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights has published the follow-up report to its previous resolution regarding Spanish political issues. The resolution, issued in 2021, called for the release of Catalan political prisoners, legal reform involving sedition, and the end of repression against the independence movement.

In the report, the EU Council rapporteur, Boris Cilevičs, criticizes the extradition orders against Catalan exiles; and the possible overturning of the pardons given to the political prisoners.

“It would be very unusual and unfortunate if the pardons, once announced and implemented to release the nine prisoners, were annulled,” Cilevičs said.

Cilevičs also denounces the fact that the Spanish state has not reformed the crimes of sedition and rebellion in the penal code.

“The reform of the rebellion and sedition laws cannot be postponed too long,” he said, regretting that it was not on the Spanish government’s agenda presently. According to him, this reform is key to Spain’s compliance with Council of Europe standards.

The vast majority of the recommendations made in the report approved in June last year have not been implemented by the Spanish authorities. Even pardons – the only decision made in line with the recommendations – are now threatened by the Supreme Court.

On the extradition orders, the rapporteur criticizes the fact that they are still maintained, especially after the pardons were granted.

“The arrest warrants and extradition requests make no sense, in view of the pardons granted to the nine Catalans imprisoned for the same reasons for which those living abroad are demanded,” he said.

The report refers to the decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the temporary restoration of the immunity granted to the exiled MEPs Carles Puigdemont, Antoni Comín, and Clara Ponsatí. It was considered that “they were in serious danger of being arrested” and this temporary immunity will be in place until the Spanish judiciary withdraws the court orders issued against them.

In addition, he believes that the state must ensure that the charge of embezzlement “is applied in a way that a person is liable only when effective and quantified losses can be proven in the state budget or assets.”

The rapporteur criticizes the fact that the lawsuits against low-ranking officials for the 1-O remain open, as well as that the successors of the imprisoned pro-independence leaders who have been penalized for “purely symbolic actions that express their solidarity with the detainees.”

The report also mentions “Catalangate,” which considers a fact linked to the 1-O crisis. According to the rapporteur, it is necessary to investigate cases of espionage using the spyware Pegasus in order to “restore confidence in Spanish institutions.”

No resignations yet within the Spanish government over the mass illegal espionage of Catalans

The Spanish government has once again refused to take responsibility for the illegal mass espionage of Catalans. It has refused an independent investigation and dismissed the ministers of interior and defense, who are believed to be behind the scandal.

When confronted by journalists earlier this week, the Spanish administration said that an independent investigation was not needed because all their actions had “always respected the current legislation.” However, it was proven that there were no court orders for the majority of those who were spied on.

Spanish government espionage affected not only Catalan leaders, but also activists, lawyers, their families, and ordinary people who had never been active in politics.

In any real democracy, an independent investigation would have already taken place and the ministers behind the irregularities would have already been dismissed. This fascist attitude shows the willingness of the Spanish administration to use illegal tools against the Catalan pro-independence movement with one single goal: its total destruction.

The sooner the independence movement realizes that the Spanish right and the pseudo-left are united to destroy a democratic movement, the sooner it will be prepared for the next attempt to achieve full independence.

Spain’s army battalion receives blessings at the fascist monument Valley of the Fallen

A battalion of the Spanish Army received the blessing from the abbot’s Santiago Cantera Montenegro at the fascist monument Valley of the Fallen. This is the newest scandal for the Spanish army because of its links with the Franco regime and the far-right.

In photos posted on social media, the soldiers can be seen kneeling on the ground and presenting their weapons to the abbot.

“May the Lord bless and always keep those who serve the homeland under this banner […]. May the Lord look kindly on Spain and grant it peace with all the peoples of the world,” said Cantera.

According to the newspaper Público, battalion sources said that the blessing ceremony took place last week and was organized by the captain, identified as J. L. P.

It should be noted that Abbot Cantera has repeatedly revealed his far-right ideology. In addition to openly opposing the exhumation of Franco’s remains, he was twice on electoral lists of the fascist Falange Española Independiente between 1993 and 1994.