Spain ‘obstructing’ investigation on police violence in Catalonia, says Amnesty

NGO warns case against crackdown on independence referendum hindered by prosecutor and Ministry of Interior

Some Spanish police officers charging some voters during the referendum on independence held in Catalonia on October 1, 2017 (by Gerard Vilà)
Some Spanish police officers charging some voters during the referendum on independence held in Catalonia on October 1, 2017 (by Gerard Vilà) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

May 10, 2018 01:41 PM

Amnesty International warned that Spain’s prosecutor and the Ministry of Interior “are obstructing” investigations about the Spanish police intervention in Catalonia on October 1, which aimed to stop the referendum on independence from taking place, and left 1,066 people injured.

In the report “October 1 [referendum day] in Catalonia: obstacles to the investigation of the excessive use of force,” the human rights NGO accuses Spain’s prosecutor of being “disinterested” in assessing what happened on referendum day. This would “contravene its role as the promoter of investigation,” hindering the judicial process.