Amnesty warns of ‘chilling effect’ of sedition conviction for independence leaders

Amnesty International has issued a report setting off alarm bells after analyzing the sentencing of Catalan independence leaders in Spain, which the human rights watchdog warns could have "a chilling effect" and create a "climate of fear," dissuading peaceful protests. In an interview with Catalan News, Daniel Joloy, Senior Policy Advisor at Amnesty and co-author of the report, states that the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the crime of sedition for which the nine jailed leaders were convicted "opens the door for the criminalization of a whole range of direct action, mainly peaceful disobedience."

What's your assessment of Spain's sentencing of Catalan leaders?

Amnesty is very concerned about the definition of sedition in the criminal code, and the much expanded and general interpretation made by the Supreme Court, for two main reasons: firstly, the definition makes the use of force and action outside of legal avenues the same. That opens the door for the criminalization of a whole range of direct action, mainly peaceful civil disobedience.