Jailed Catalan Leader Jordi Cuixart Calls on the Catalans to Vote en Masse in the February 14th Elections

The President of the Catalan cultural and civil organization Òmnium Cultural, Jordi Cuixart, calls on the Catalans to “fill the ballot boxes” with pro-independence votes in the February 14^th elections in response to the ongoing Spanish “state operation” against the pro-independence movement.

Jordi Cuixart affirms that the political prisoners are not “the visualization of any defeat but a further step towards victory” and also recalls that exiles continue fighting “to defend the ideals” that forced them to leave Catalonia.

“We will continue to defend the right to self-determination and the right to live in a Catalan republic of free citizens,” Cuixart says, adding that “enough is enough” in reference to political courts. “The solution to the repression will come neither from pardons nor from reforms of the penal code. We demand amnesty: there are more than 2,850 being repressed. We will not abandon anyone,” Cuixart insists.

Cuixart also calls for “a strong government” to defend amnesty and the right to self-determination, and assures that “we will do it again [exercise the right to self-determination like in 2017]. We will always obey our conscience in the face of unjust laws, in defense of the violated rights and freedoms of people,” he says, calling for them to be “united, standing and on the street.”

Spanish National Heritage Spends €500,000 per Year on the Maintenance of Three Swimming Pools for the Royal House

Spain’s National Heritage spends half a million euros per year on the maintenance of three swimming pools for the Royal House, according to revelations published by elDiario.es.

The 500,000 euros per year are spent on tasks such as daily cleaning of filters and hygienic control of water quality of the three swimming pools. The contract was awarded to Multiservicios Tecnológicos SA, which specializes in installations, air conditioning and cold rooms. In addition, 240,000 euros must be added for the maintenance of the building and its premises by the company Teodoro SA, cleaning tasks for the palace costing 893,000 euros and forestry services for the Palau del Pardo costing 140,000 euros.

However, these are not the only expenses that have been charged to National Heritage that are linked to the monarchy. This body, linked to the Ministry of the Presidency, has also paid for the compensation for the unfair dismissal of the crew of the yacht Fortuna, which former King Juan Carlos enjoyed until he decided to sell it; the maintenance of the house where his ex-lover Corinna Larsen was staying in Madrid, the insurance for the various luxury cars she received as gifts and the staff and security that accompanies the former King in Abu Dhabi.

In total, the Spanish monarchy costs taxpayers almost €2 million extra than the €8.4 specified in the state budget approved by Congress for this year.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Once Again Condemns Spain for Not Investigating Tortures

On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) once again condemned the Spanish state for failing to investigate allegations of torture and thus violating Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The sentence confirms that Iñigo González Etayo, arrested in 2011, was subjected to “inhuman and degrading treatment” and must be compensated with 20,000 euros.

Iñigo was arrested, along with Gorka Zabala, Jon Patxi Arratibel and Gorka Mayo, by order of the incumbent Minister of the Interior Fernando Grande-Marlaska, then a judge of the Spanish National Court. They were all accused of belonging to a terrorist organization for being members of the Basque pro-independence organization Ekin.

Iñigo claimed that during the interrogation they put a bag over his head, waterboarded him, hit him and made him want to vomit because he couldn’t stand it anymore. The confession was obtained by torture. Its contents were specified by the police. All the detainees reported being tortured by the Civil Guard.

Strasbourg already condemned Spain for failing to investigate allegations of tortures against Patxi Arratibel and Xabier Beortegi, both detained in the same police operation. It is noteworthy that Arratibel signed a police statement with the word “Aztnugal,” which read backwards means “help” in Basque.

The Spanish “Socialist” Party (PSOE-PSC) Once Again Blocks an Investigation Into Spain’s Former King Juan Carlos’ Illicit Accounts

On Wednesday, the Spanish “Socialist” Party (PSOE-PSC) once again blocked the creation of a commission of investigation into Juan Carlos, Spain’s former king’s illicit accounts. This came after the lawyers of Spain’s Congress endorsed such an investigation for the first time, contrary to what they had done before.

PSOE/PSC joined forces with the far-right Vox and the right-wing PP in the Congress Bureau in order to block the admission of the request to investigate the emeritus king in the chamber. It is a procedure that so far has not passed any similar request and that allows the issue to be raised in the Congress.

The request for the creation of a commission of investigation by Podemos argues that the facts to be investigated are subsequent to the abdication of the former monarch, and therefore the criterion of inviolability cannot be applied to him.

Minister of Health Salvador Illa

Spain’s Minister of Health Salvador Illa recently announced his presidential candidacy for PSOE/PSC in the next Catalan election, saying he will call for the formation of a new progressive government if he won the election. But the refusal of his administration to allow an investigation into the alleged corruption of the Spanish monarchy shows once again that his progressive rhetoric is just populist, not real, aimed at manipulating the public opinion to reach power by any means.

If this last episode of failure by this minister and his administration to be progressive is not enough to open people’s eyes, it is important to remember that he, himself, and a number of his colleagues also attended several demonstrations in Catalonia organized by the far right organization Societat Civil Catalana (SCC), some members of which have direct links with neo-Nazi squads.

Therefore, Illa’s victory in the next Catalan elections would be a victory of reactionaries, who if able to form a new government, would have a carte blanche to dismantle any sign of progress across the country.

50 International Personalities, Including Five Nobel Prize Laureates, Sign a Manifesto Calling for an Amnesty for Catalan Political Prisoners

50 international personalities, including five Nobel Prize laureates and UN dignitaries, have signed a manifesto promoted by the Catalan civic organization Òmnium Cultural calling for an amnesty for the jailed, exiled and prosecuted over the 2017 independence referendum.

The manifesto argues against the use of courts by Spain “to resolve a political crisis, and urges the Spanish government to end repression and to initiate sincere dialogue with Catalonia to find a political solution that would give the citizens of Catalonia the right to decide their own political future.”

Yoko Ono, Gerry Adams, Dilma Rousseff, Ai Wei Wei, and five Nobel Peace Prize laureates – Jody Williams, Mairead Corrigan, Shirin Ebadi, Elfriede Jelinek and Adolfo Perez Esquivel are amongst the 50 signatories of the manifesto calling for amnesty and the end of repression of Catalans by Spain.

This manifesto comes ahead of Catalan elections on February 14th, which are expected to see pro-independence parties securing an absolute majority with a strong possibility of obtaining over 50% of the total votes.

The Spanish Government Admits It Has Not Complied With the Investiture Agreement With the Catalan Pro-Independence Party ERC

The Spanish government has published an annual report of the PSOE-Unidas Podemos coalition government, admitting it has not complied with its investiture agreement with the Catalan pro-independence party ERC, and only partially with the rest of political forces.

According to the document, the Spanish administration considers that the investiture agreement with the Republicans — the creation of a negotiating table to resolve the ongoing political conflict between Spain and Catalonia — is still “in-process” at 0%, and predicts it will not be fulfilled before June 2021.

Regarding other political forces, the Spanish government affirms it has already complied with 32% of the agreements with Compromís, 29% with New Canarias, 22% with the Galician Nationalist Bloc, 10% with Teruel Exists, and 7% with the Basque Nationalist Party.

Thus, the only agreements not fulfilled yet by the Sánchez administration are those with the Catalan pro-independence movement, showing once again his clear unwillingness to tackle and resolve the ongoing political conflict by democratic means.

Spain’s Supreme Court Prosecutors Oppose Pardon for Catalan Political Prisoners

Earlier this week, the prosecutors of the Spanish Supreme Court Javier Zaragoza, Jaime Moreno, Consuelo Madrigal and Fidel Cadena informed the Supreme Court that they oppose the pardons for the pro-independence political prisoners because they do not observe reasons of “justice, equity or utility.”

The prosecutors also warned that “the enormous gravity of the facts and the proportionality of the sentences imposed must be borne in mind.” In fact, they believe that the lack of “obedience to the law” indicates that the political prisoners would commit the same crime [holding a vote: giving people the power to decide their own future through an independence referendum] again.

According to the Public Ministry, “in any case, it seems obvious that one of the minimum requirements for granting pardons is the ascertainment of a manifest acceptance of responsibility for the crime committed and the determined purpose of not reoffending as evidence of compliance with the violated legality. None of these circumstances have been proven in the present case,” concluded the prosecutor.

Having heard the position of the prosecutors, the Supreme Court must now send its report, which, like that of the prosecutors, is mandatory but not binding on the Spanish government, which has the final decision in its hands.

NOTE: The Spanish Supreme Court and the presiding body of the judiciary have leaned towards far-right positions in the last few years.

The Spanish Constitutional Court Rules that an Insult to the Spanish Flag Is a Crime

On Tuesday, the Spanish Constitutional Court ruled by majority that insults to the Spanish flag are no longer considered freedom of expression, but a crime.

The divided Court was only able to pass the ruling by a single vote, but it established that indignities against the Spanish flag are crimes as they are not protected by the right to freedom of expression. It did so by dismissing an appeal filed by the trade union, Galician Intersindical Confederation, which was condemned for an offense against the flag in using phrases such as “here I heard the silence of the fucking flag” and “you have to set fire to the fucking flag.”

The trade union alleged that their freedom of expression has been violated. However, the court considered that these expressions were without the protection of fundamental rights.

Five of the court’s twelve judges voted against the decision: Andrés Ollero Tasara, Juan Antonio Xiol Ríos, Cándido Conde-Pumpido Tourón, Encarnación Roca Trías and María Luisa Balaguer Callejón.

Prestigious lawyers such as Gonzalo Boye are considering taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Neo-Nazis Seen in a Demonstration Organized by Spain’s Far-Right Vox Party

Last weekend, groups of neo-Nazis were seen in a demonstration organized by the Spanish far-right political party Vox, in Barcelona commemorating the 42nd anniversary of the Constitution.

The demonstration, led by the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, only amassed some 200 people. Some of the attendees were seen showing the Nazi salute repeatedly and waving; neo-Nazi and National Identity Front – Workers’ National-Socialist Spanish Party (FNI-PNSOE) Flags.

Hate Crime to be Reported

Several organizations have announced their intention to report it to the police and prosecutors as a hate crime, arguing that expressing support for fascism is not freedom of expression, but a crime.

Catalonia’s Home Affairs Minister, Miquel Sàmper, said that the police are already gathering information for a report to be sent to the prosecutor. “Democratic institutions cannot leave any leeway for acts against the law, such as professing fascism, which surpass the limits of freedom of speech.”

These events come just a few days after the messages from several former and high-ranking members of the Spanish Air Force in a WhatsApp group were leaked, including one saying: “There is no choice but to start shooting 26 million sons of bitches.”

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Sees It as Problematic that States don’t Follow UN Recommendations Such as the Release of Catalan Political Prisoners

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, says that is problematic if states do not follow UN recommendations in reference to the Spanish State’s failure to comply with the resolution of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions calling for the release of Catalan pro-independence political prisoners.

The annual report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions of the UN, released in September, already recalled that Spain had not implemented its request to release seven of the nine Catalan political prisoners: Jordi Sànchez, Jordi Cuixart, Oriol Junqueras, Quim Forn, Josep Rull, Raül Romeva and Dolors Bassa.

The president of the UN Group, José Antonio Guevara, also insisted on the release of those seven political prisoners in the past and asked not to divert attention from this request, which he believed was “a most important issue.”