“The Council of Ministers has reached an agreement to pardon nine” independence activists in prison, Pedro Sánchez said in an official statement after a nearly four-hour meeting at which the decision was made.

“The government took this decision because it is the best for Catalonia and the best for Spain,” the Spanish Prime Minister said in a short broadcast, saying he wants to open up a “new era of dialogue” and end the “confrontation”. recognition of “considerations of public benefit” for pardon, in order to “restore coexistence and harmony in Catalan and Spanish societies.”

The nine imprisoned Catalan politicians are to be released from prison today, according to sources in the Spanish Supreme Court, who indicated that the institution will not wait for the decision to be published on Wednesday in the Official Gazette before proceeding with the trial.

In October 2019, nine separatists were sentenced to between 9 and 13 years in prison for their part in a failed attempt to declare Catalonia’s independence from Spain.

The secession attempt in 2017 was one of the worst political crises since the end of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in 1975 and still affects national politics today.

Despite the ban on Spanish justice, the Catalan government, chaired by independent activist Carles Puigdemont, organized a referendum on self-determination on October 1, 2017. The consultations were marked by scenes of police violence, with the central government trying to suppress what he saw as an illegal secession attempt.

On the 27th of the same month, the Parliament of Catalonia unilaterally declared independence. In response, the conservative Spanish government overthrew the Catalan executive branch and placed the region under its wing.

Pursued by justice, the separatist leaders fled Spain like Puigdemont, or were arrested like the then Catalan vice-president and leader of the Left Republican Party of Catalonia (ERC), Oriol Junqueras.

• Oriol Junqueras (13 years in prison) – former vice president of the executive branch of Catalonia
• Carme Forcadell (11 years in prison) – former President of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia
• Raul Romeva, Jordi Turull and Dolors Bassa (12 years in prison) – Former members of the regional government of Catalonia
• Joaquim Forn and Josep Rull (10 years in prison) – Regional Advisers
• Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixar (9 years in prison) – leaders of the associations for independence

A group of independence movement activists who have not yet been tried has not been pardoned either. This group includes Puigdemont, who is based in Belgium and was elected a member of the European Parliament.

The Council of Europe, the main human rights body on the “old continent”, upheld the pardon in a resolution adopted by its assembly late Monday night.

But the non-binding recommendation also criticized Spain for restricting the freedom of expression of Catalan politicians.

In response, Spain’s foreign ministry said the separatists had been convicted by independent courts for breaking the law, not just for expressing their desire for independence.

What’s at stake in the future?

At the Teatro Liceo in Barcelona on Monday, Sanchez tried to justify the pardon, facing criticism from both the right and independence supporters.

“The main reason for the pardons is their usefulness for coexistence,” the socialist said, noting that he intends to “open the door to reconciliation” in Catalonia, a region whose 7.7 million inhabitants remain deeply divided over independence.

Sanchez stressed that he is aware that part of the Catalan and Spanish society opposes the pardon, but said that “the future should be more important than the past” and that this measure “will give everyone the opportunity to start all over again and do something. Best”.

“If there is time for unification, this is it,” said the prime minister, who also defended “dialogue” from “confrontation” as the latter “did not contribute to the resolution of any conflict.”

These pardons, however, are considered insufficient by the independent in power in Catalonia, which require an amnesty, that is, a step that would imply a complete pardon of the crimes committed and the holding of a referendum on self-determination – opportunities rejected by Madrid.

“A pardon is not a solution to a common problem,” stressed the President of Catalonia, Pere Aragones.

The Spanish right, who rallied thousands in Madrid on June 13 to oppose the pardon, accused Sanchez of trying to stay in power because his minority government needs support from congressional independence activists.

The current left-wing executive minority, the coalition between the Socialist Party (PSOE) and the Unidas Podemos (far left), has managed to stay in power, namely with the help of the Catalan independence parties, as well as the separatist or nationalist formations of the Basque Country.

Pardon is viewed primarily by the right as a currency of exchange that guarantees the continuation of this support network.

The decision of the Council of Ministers does not definitively resolve this issue, as several proponents of Spanish law and others have already announced that they will appeal to the Supreme Court.

Moreover, the pardon measure is rejected by 53% of Spaniards, according to a recent poll, which, by contrast, showed that 68% of Catalans approve of it.

With this decision, the Sanchez government intends to turn the page and help resolve the protracted crisis in Catalonia.

In a context where Spain registers a decrease in COVID-19 cases as vaccination progresses, and with a general election in two years’ time, the Sanchez government intends to renew its dialogue with the Catalan executive. These negotiations were suspended in February 2020 due to the pandemic.

The positions of both sides remain at antipodes. More moderate than his two predecessors, the new president of Catalonia, Pere Aragones of the ERC, is pushing for a referendum on self-determination, this time agreed with Madrid, similar to Scotland’s 2014.

This opportunity was categorically rejected by the central government, open to vote in Catalonia, but only to decide on greater autonomy for the region. Catalonia already has broad powers in the areas of health, education and safety.